The Most Powerful Scream is Silence
by If-Looks-Could-Kill-453
Summary: Abused and hurt her whole life, Luna Rose doesn't think anything will be different when she moves to Mystic Falls. But in a town where mystery and mayhem are constant factors, Luna finds herself in more trouble than ever before when she gets involved with a certain blue-eyed Salvatore brother, especially when her lies catch up to her. (Rewrite) (also posted on AO3, same title)
1. Chapter One: The Beginning

In a small faded blue house, with siding worn and bleached by the sun lived a family, in the loosest sense of the word. Yes, they lived in a house and yes there were two kids and a man who some would call a dad, but that was the only way in which they were a family. The things most people know of that are associated with family; love, happiness, unity, and trust were not found in the Rose household. Instead, words like grim, depressing, empty, and ruthless were used.

In the house, a teenage girl with long, wavy hair the color of copper and big sea-foam green eyes lined with dark curled lashes sat under a cracked window on the scratched wood floors. Her skin, as white and impossibly flawless as ivory was scattered and covered with bruises and scars.

Some of the bruises were green and yellow, fading as they healed over time, while others were an angry black and purple that stood out harshly against the only shred of light in her life, in the form of the sun that poured in from the window. The sun danced and spun around the room as it flickered through the torn yellow lace that covered the windows.

The streaks of sun illuminated her face and lit up her skin in a strangely beautiful way. Despite the fact that she was beaten and bruised and scarred in places no one would ever see, she was beautiful.

Boxes, some filled and some not, lay across the room covering the few square feet of her 'bedroom'. Her few possessions, clothes, make up (an essential when you look like you've gone a few rounds with a professional boxer weekly), an old iPod shuffle (her prized possession in life, and her only escape), and a few other small things that she owned were deposited into the cardboard boxes. On the side of the box, written in black thick marker in all capital letters was Luna.

She couldn't believe they were moving again, just when she had started to make friends and get used to the small house on the end of Heritage Avenue it was time to move again.

People, as they always did become suspicious of the quiet girl with bruises and lame excuses of clumsy feet and they had to uproot their so-called lives and move on to the next town.

This time it was a small town called Mystic Falls.

A few weeks later, when moving trucks pulled up beside Elena Gilbert's house she peeked out the window and pulled the curtains aside excitement evident in her eyes. She hadn't had new neighbours since old mister David passed away over a year ago.

Her doe eyes peered forward as she saw a tall, thin twenty-something-year-old man with shaggy blonde hair and a hoodie pulled up and over his head and resting above his green eyes exit a dark blue SUV.

His arms, thin but toned were crossed against his chest and a pair of white headphones were stuck in his ears, drowning out the world around him. He quickly walked inside, passing the movers and escaping the hot sun that beat down above.

The next person to exit the SUV was a tall built man, with thick arms covered in coarse brown hair that curled at the end, the same hair adorned the top of his head. His face, covered with a thin beard and angry green eyes were topped with bushy eyebrows.

A duffel bag in one hand and the other shoved firmly in the pocket of his blue jeans he strolled up the walkway and closed the front door behind him.

Elena, just about to peel her curious eyes away from the scene outside, thinking it was over, was stopped when a girl, around her age exited the vehicle without making a sound.

Her hair fell in coils down the middle of her back and when the sun hit it just right it reminded her of amber. The nameless girl, with nothing in her hands and a blank look on her face, made her way towards the now closed front door.

She was covered in black, from a black leather jacket covered in zippers, to a pair of faded black jeans worn and ripped. But not the kind of ripped you buy from the store, the real kind of ripped that only happens over time.

Her hand, with nails covered in peeling burgundy nail polish, hovered over the brass handle as her ocean coloured eyes flicked up and met with Elena's brown ones.

Elena smiled sheepishly at being caught snooping, the girl, however, did not.

Luna stared for a moment, wanting to smile, wanting to befriend the pretty brunette next door, but friends only got nosey.

Friends only got curious.

Friends only asked questions she couldn't answer.

Friends only made it harder when she had to leave again.

So, with a heavy heart, but a strong mind she turned back towards the door and walked inside.


	2. Chapter Two: Meeting Elena

Hey, everyone, I got super inspired after writing the first chapter and got right into writing the second one. I hope you guys like it. Reviews and feedback are appreciated!

When Luna walked through the door she was greeted with a site she wasn't used to. The house actually looked like a home.

The floors were a deep rich brown that soaked up the heat from the sun pouring in through the glass. The warmth came in waves from the floor, she could feel it through her worn converse sneakers and pale blue ankle socks. Her toes, adorned with chipped nail polish, curled in her shoes trying to suck the warmth from the floor and through her entire body.

Warmth wasn't something she was used to.

She peeked around the wall that leads into the kitchen, taking everything in. Most things were bare or covered in boxes but she liked it.

It was homey.

She tried not to crack an ironic smile at this. "Homey". Really? She knew this place, like all the others, would morph into something she hated, and the things that went on behind closed doors and painted walls were definitely not classified as homey.

With a small sigh and a shrug, she walked up the wood stairs adjacent from the kitchen, her hand on the banister as she went.

Her room, as directed to her by John (AKA the man who is responsible for half her DNA, but in no way her father) was at the end of the hall on the left.

The room was small but bigger than her previous one. A big bay window, with a window seat, faced her as she entered the room. Sun streamed in lit up the room making Luna smile, a real smile, for the first time in awhile.

To the left of the entrance was a set of double doors which lead to a roomy closet and the same coffee coloured hardwood as downstairs was echoed throughout her bedroom as well. However, the walls were painted a dull eggshell white that she didn't care for.

A thought crossed her mind, to go pick up some paint from the local hardware store she passed on the ride here, and if she was any other girl she would have. But she wasn't. The last thing she needed was to get in trouble for painting her room, knowing John he would go on a rant about how this is his house and she is defacing his property.

The outcome, like most things in life, wasn't worth it.

The movers, who were kind and soft despite their bulging muscles and tough exterior, had put her bedframe and mattress, small nightstand, and dresser in her room.

Her bed faced the window, just the way she liked and her dresser was on the rear wall, the farthest from the bedroom's entrance. Both were made of dark wood that was a nice accent to the matching floor.

The movers were kind enough, upon her direction, to place her few boxes in her room as well. Now all she had to do was unpack everything, something she always dreaded, because she knew in a year's time she would have to repack it all.

Not to mention it was boring as hell.

Deciding she would rather be doing almost anything else besides unpacking she decided she would walk around town instead.

Silently she made her way downstairs and out the door, without anyone in the house noticing.

Elena, now sitting with Jeremy on the porch, trying to act casual and not at all snoopy looked up as she saw the nameless girl exit the house as quietly as she had entered. The amber-haired girl bypassed the SUV and made her way down the road on foot, hands in her jacket pocket as she walked. Jumping up at her shot to make a new, normal, friend Elena hopped off the porch and made her way towards the girl with long strides.

"Hey!" she exclaimed "I'm Elena, you must be the new neighbour. I just live next door."

Startled and somewhat shocked at the bubbly girl before her Luna smiled awkwardly.

"Yeah, we're just moving in. I'm Luna." the copper haired girl replied.

"I could give you a ride if you like, it's a long walk." Elena offered while tucking a chocolate lock behind her ear.

Luna, not used to such kindness from strangers, already liked this girl selfless attitude and bubbly personality.

"That would be lovely, thank you, Elena." Luna expressed, sincerity dripping from every word.

Elena beamed, a shining smile of white adorning her heart shaped face.

"I'll just go grab my keys, stay right here." The brown-haired girl called as she ran back into the white house.

Jeremy peered at her from the porch, trying not to stare at the pale beauty in front of him. This girl was simply stunning. He couldn't help but gape.

Elena whizzed out of the house, her brown jacket now on her thin frame and keys in hand. Only to be stopped by Jeremy's hand on her arm.

"Who's that?" he breathed out.

Elena looked at him, a small smile playing on her lips "That's Luna, our new neighbour. Pretty huh?"

Jeremy nodded, unable to speak. Feeling silly he walked back inside, only glancing back for a moment at the sun-basked girl in his driveway.

Elena's car, also an SUV, had comfy cotton seats and big windows that were halfway opened letting the sun and the wind flow in. The wind smelled of a barbecue three streets down and fresh cut grass that tickled Luna's nose as she stared out the passenger window.

"Where did you move from?" Elena questioned as she turned left, interrupting Luna from her thoughts.

"I've never really stayed in one place long," Luna expressed "but recently we just moved from Arizona."

"Arizona huh? Must have been hot. And so many people! How did you end up in Mystic falls?" Elena asked as she pulled into a small bar called the Mystic Grill.

"I have no idea honestly, I just do whatever Joh- I mean my dad tells me to do." Luna stammered "It's what's best for everyone" she finished as she exited the car, gently closing the door behind her.

Elena, quickly following suit hopped out of the SUV and locked it behind her.

"So, this is the Mystic Grill, my friends and I hang out here all the time. Their burgers are to die for!" Elena expressed as she walked inside with Luna.

Luna nodded along, taking in her surroundings as she listened.

"Think they are hiring? I could use a job for after school." Luna asked curiously.

Honestly, she could use the money as well as any excuse to be out of the house.

"Yeah! My friend Matt could put in a good word for you, he works here too." Elena said while smiling.

Luna smiled gratefully and expressed her thanks as they walked towards a booth and took a seat. The grill was covered in dark woods with little lanterns and soft lighting that held an atmosphere of intimacy and comfort. A few pool tables, with men holding beers surrounding them, and sets of tables and chairs were set up around the room.

A cute waiter with blonde swept hair and bits of the ocean in the form of blue orbs approached the table, a notepad, and pen in hand.

"Hey Elena, who's your friend?" the charming boy with a friendly smile asked as he turned towards Luna.

"This is Luna, she just moved in next door to me." Elena said sweetly "She's actually looking to get a job, think you can put in a good word for her?"

"Yeah sure, I'm Matt by the way. I go to school with Elena." Matt replied

Luna smiled at the handsome boy in front of her, he was sweet. Not her type, but friend material for sure.

"Thanks, Matt I would really appreciate it." Luna expressed, with genuine thanks.

Matt took their orders, cheeseburgers with fries and a coke for both of them and walked away with a smile on his face.

"He's cute huh? And single…" Elena trailed off, a sly smile on her pretty face.

"Don't you get any ideas Elena, he's cute for sure but not my type." Luna explained.

Elena nodded understandingly and smiled at her new friend.

The door of the Mystic Grill opened, and the blue-eyed Salvatore brother entered. He quickly scanned the area until he spotted the chocolate haired doppelganger he was looking for and begin to make his way towards her. As he approached her he noticed a wavy-haired girl across from her.

 _That's not one of her usual little high school friends_ he thought to himself

Plopping in the seat beside the unidentified girl, he let his arm rest behind her on the booth and a smirk appear on his face.

"Hi there gorgeous, I'm Damon Salvatore."


	3. Chapter Three: The Grill

As soon as Luna got a glimpse of his sparkling eyes and lips curled upwards in a classic smirk she knew he was trouble. And she loved it. Like a total cliché, she loved bad boys.

I guess you could call it an addiction, she kept going back over and over again to the same type of guy knowing how it would end up. She would be hurt and broken, feeling a pain in her heart that matched the bruises on her body. Yet she kept going back.

Maybe she was a masochist.

It would explain a lot of things in her life. Why she didn't run away. Why she didn't tell someone. Why she wanted nothing more than to jump the boy in front of her.

"Damon" Elena warned, her voice drawing Luna from her thoughts.

"What" he replied, never tearing his sapphire eyes away from Luna's sea foam green ones.

"Don't." Elena finished sternly, jutting her chin out stubbornly as she spoke.

Luna, finally finding her voice grinned back at him "I'm Luna, new to town if you couldn't tell." she said softly.

 _Oh, I could tell_ Damon thought his eyes flicking down her frame then back up to meet her eyes.

"She lives next door, just moved in today," Elena added, glaring at Damon

"Next door, huh? Guess that means I'll be seeing more of you" Damon concluded, picking up a piece of her copper hair and twirling it around his finger before letting it fall and bounce back into a curl against her shoulder.

"If you're lucky" Luna replied, licking her lips.

Damon leaned in closer, till he could feel her minty breath against his face. His pupils expanded and shrunk, dilating as he stared into her soul.

"You want to see me again, and you want to kiss me" he whispered, a grin tugging at his lips as he spoke in a hypnotic honey tone.

"Damon!" Elena gasped, shock evident in her tone.

Luna leaned forward, her lips brushing against his ever so slightly

"You wish." she uttered, a grin playing on her plump lips as she leaned back

A small gasp escaped Elena's lips as she stared at the pale girl in front of her. Damon, usually one to hide his emotions behind sarcastic comments and smoldering looks, had shock written all over his face.

Luna, who looked between Elena and Damon, confusion marring her features as she spoke

"What?" she asked.

"uh…nothing" Elena answered lamely "He's just not used to having girls resist his…charm" she finished with a glance towards Damon.

"Here's your food" Matt cut in, breaking the silence as he placed the plates down in front of the girls.

"Thanks" Luna replied, as Matt walked away, sending a glance towards Damon as he went.

"So…how do you guys know each other" Luna questioned, popping a fry into her mouth.

Elena, maintaining her composure, answered "He's actually my boyfriend's brother"

"I'm the hotter brother" Damon added, shooting a grin at the girls.

Elena rolled her eyes and took a bite of her burger "Ignore him and he'll go away." She said, swallowing before she spoke.

Luna laughed, a real laugh that crinkled her nose and lit up her eyes.

"I don't know, he's annoying," she said, tossing a glance at the raven-haired boy "but not THAT bad" she finished with a wink in his direction.

"Don't encourage him," Elena warned.

Damon leaned back against the leather covered booth as he spoke "You hear that Elena? I'm not that bad."

"Did you miss the part where I said annoying" Luna added looking over again as she ate a fry.

Elena laughed in response, while Damon fake pouted, sticking out his bottom lip.

"That hurts, right here" he whined, patting his chest where his heart was.

"Are you sure there's anything in there?" Luna retorted, a playful smirk on her lips

Damon grinned at her, leaning in slightly and said: "I like you."

"I like me too." Luna lied, her lip twitching slightly as she spoke.

Damon raised an eyebrow at the girl beside him, picking up one of her fries and chewing it slowly.

"I'll see you two around, especially you," Damon promised, swinging his legs off the booth and onto the floor as he stood. With a grin on his face and a twinkle of interest in his eyes, he swaggered out of the restaurant.

"He is seriously hot," Luna exclaimed once Damon had left the grill.

"And seriously a jerk, trust me," Elena concluded, smacking her lips then sipping her ice-cold coke.

 _That's just my type_ Luna thought to herself.

"So, you have a boyfriend? Tell me about him." Luna chimed, picking at her fries.

A scarlet blush seeped across Elena's cheeks and over her petite nose as she spoke "His name is Stephan, he is so sweet and smart. Really handsome too" she added with a laugh.

"He sounds really nice." Luna decided, a sad smile playing on her lips as the realization of something she would never have hit her.

"He is. He and I have tons of classes together, maybe you'll have some with us too!" Elena exclaimed

"When do you start" the chocolate hair girl continued

"After the weekend, on Monday," Luna explained.

"I can give you a ride if you like, and a tour of the school." Elena offered, twirling her straw between her strawberry red painted nails.

Luna stayed quiet for a moment, carefully considering getting into a friendship with this sweet girl in front of her. Yes, she was nice and one of the few selfless people she has ever met in her life, but having friends never turned out well for her.

They asked too many questions and always got too close. Not to mention the heartache that filled Luna to her core when she had to lie over and over again, and then eventually leave with excuses spilling from her mouth.

But friends made you smile and forget about the horrors of your own life, if even for a sliver of a moment in time. They made her keep fighting to live, and in a world and life as miserable as her own she needed something to keep fighting for.

"That would be great," Luna said softly, the battle in her mind finally settling and becoming clear.

Hours later; when Elena had pulled into her paved driveway, bid goodbye to her new friend and gone inside Luna was left with a heavy feeling in her gut and a burning behind her eyes. She knew she should have been home earlier, she probably shouldn't have left in the first place if she was being honest.

Her legs, long and lean, moved on their own accord towards the door. The whole time her mind begged them to stop, one foot after another in a fluid motion on the heated pavement below her sneakers. She knew what awaited her.

Luna walked inside, closing the door lightly behind her and turned towards the stairs to make her way up them.

"Just where do you think you're going?" came a gruff voice from the living room, stopping Luna in her tracks.

Swiveling around in front of the stairs, and slowly making her way towards the living room, pausing at the doorframe to keep her distance.

"J-just upstairs" Luna stuttered, cursing herself for fumbling her words.

"And where exactly have you been?" the voice spat out as he stood, the light streaming in from the kitchen illuminating his hard features.

For a moment, Luna thought of the irony of this. It was dark, not a beam of sun in site and the artificial light was a perfect metaphor for the absolute bullshit perfect family life they all pretended to have.

Luna was shaken out of her thoughts when her head snapped to the side and her cheek began to sting.

"I said, where exactly have you been!" her father's voice hissed.

Rubbing her cheek and turning to face John, the young teen answered quietly "I was out exploring the town with our neighbour, Elena."

"Did I say you could go?" demanded John.

"No," Luna replied, her stubbornness masking the fear in her voice.

"That's what I fucking thought." he growled.

Luna knew what would happen next.

The hair pulling.

The shoving.

The kicking.

The screaming.

So, she blacks it out. Closes her eyes and waits till it's over. Till she can't feel hands on her body or his presence in the room.

When her eyes open, she's bruised and bloodied on the floor of the living room, alone and aching. But her eyes no longer water, not even from the pain. They haven't in a long time.

She's perfectly numb, it's the only way she can survive.


	4. Chapter Four: The First Day of School

**Hey, everyone! I'm glad you guys are liking my story so far! The feedback is really appreciated. So just to clear a few things up my story takes place in season two, at this point in the story Caroline is a newly turned vampire. However, Damon doesn't love Elena or have feelings for her besides friendship. Some of my inspiration came from John Green as well as the song entitled Noserings and Shoestrings by Nina Nesbitt.**

On Monday morning, a beam of sunlight streamed in through the window and gently kissed the pale skin on Luna's face causing her stir in her sleep. Rolling over onto her stomach and pulling a pillow over her head to escape the illuminating sun leaking through her lids, a groan escaped her lips. Her body, a collection of black and blue colourations in places no one would notice, was sore and aching. Unfortunately, unlike the smears of blue and black colouring amongst her skin, like paint on a canvas, she couldn't hide the handprint on her cheek.

 _What a great beginning to her first day of school_ she thought with a grumble.

After a few moments, she slid her way from out of the covers and stood, slowly walking over to a box marked clothes in capital black letters. She pulled back the worn and indented flaps of the cardboard box, pulling out a loose fitting black tee with white detail and a pair of black fitted jeans to match.

She liked black if you couldn't tell.

I'm sure if you looked deep enough that was a metaphor for her life, and the pain and despair that she felt. But she never bothered to look that deep, and neither did anyone else.

At the end of the day, maybe she just likes black.

About an hour later, Luna stood on the porch of the Gilbert house dressed head to toe in black. The bruise and handprint on her cheek covered by concealer, hiding all her secrets.

After a few more moments Elena opened the door, a casual smile lighting up her face.

"Ready to go?" Luna asked, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Yep! I hope you don't mind, my brother is coming too" Elena said, as Jeremy appeared behind her.

"No, it's fine. I mean you were nice enough to do this in the first place." Luna expressed gratefully.

A slightly awkward car ride later, filled with polite conversations, flitting laughter, and longing glances from Jeremy (which Luna didn't fail to notice) they arrived at the school.

The other two teens quickly exited the car, leaving Luna inside. No matter how many schools she went to she always got the same feeling on the first day. The nervous, sick feeling that makes her head feel heavy and her mind feel light. Her hands shook as she balled them into fists, folding her fingers into her palm stubbornly. The feeling of kangaroos in her stomach (because butterflies simply won't do), jumping around making it flip and turn in gut-wrenching nervousness wouldn't leave all day, but you can be damn sure she wasn't going to let it show.

Luna exited the car with her chin held high and a determined look on her face.

"Ready for you first day?" Elena asked as Jeremy walked inside the school to his friends.

"Ready as I can be, at least I have the whole 'first day, new kid' thing down pat." Luna chimed.

The two girls walked into school, side by side, only to be greeted by a bubbly blonde.

"Elena! Did you see what Tiki-" the curvy blonde paused. "Who's this?" she added, her eyes skimming the unknown girl beside her best friend.

"This is Luna, my new neighbour. Luna this is Caroline." Elena explained, smiling at the two girls.

"Nice to meet you," Luna responded.

"You too!" the fair-haired girl exclaimed, licking her lips as she talked and taking a whiff of the air subtlety.

The chocolate haired girl, moved slightly closer to the blonde before she spoke "Caroline." Elena whispered, her voice wavering into a warning tone.

Caroline shook her head and lifted her eyes from Luna's pale neck and to the other girl's eyes instead.

"Well, let us give you a tour of our school then! I'm sure you'll fit in just great." Caroline sang, her perfect blonde curls bouncing as she began to walk.

Luna couldn't help the smile that graced her face as she followed the two girls in front of her, who explained the in and outs of the school. She had never had a first day quite like this one. Usually, her school days involved her quietly slinking around the halls and into the back of classrooms, completely lost and alone.

Maybe this place was going to be different after all.

"And this is where you can get your schedule from" Caroline voiced, interrupting Luna's thoughts. "Then we can see what classes we all have together" the perky blonde finished.

One schedule later revealed that the girls had History, English, Art, and lunch together; all for which Luna was grateful. The first class they all had together was History.

"Lead the way to…" Luna trailed off checking her schedule for the teacher's name "Mr. Saltzman's class!" She finished cheerily.

Just as they reached the class, a green-eyed, broad-shouldered boy walked over to them, kissing Elena on the cheek.

"Is this Luna?" Stefan questioned, curiosity filling his moss-coloured eyes.

Elena nodded and looked at Stefan. Their eyes having a silent conversation that only the couple was in on. Of course, the conversation revolved around the mysterious pale girl before them all, who raised more questions than she liked to answer.

Both Stefan and Caroline could clearly hear her heartbeat, ruling out the possibility that she was a vampire. Unless she was wearing or ingesting vervain, a rarity nowadays, then there was no plausible explanation for how she resisted compulsion.

Unfortunately, if she was that only raised more questions than answers.

Who was she?

What did she want?

What did she know?

Luna, however, had never touched vervain in her life.

"You must be Stefan" Luna piped up, breaking the connection from the couple, his eyes coming to rest on hers. "I've heard a lot about you" she concluded.

"And I you," Stefan added, a genuine smile full of perfect teeth appearing on his handsome face.

The group continued to make conversation as they walked into the classroom, taking their seats together. Luna looked out the window, as a beam of sunlight broke through the clouds and came through the glass. She hummed quietly in content, basking in the warmth.

Mr. Saltzman walked in, drawing her attention towards the older (yet very attractive) man in a blue button up, the sleeves rolled up and pinned back by the pearl white buttons at his elbows.

Thankfully, he didn't make her introduce herself in some embarrassing and totally cliché way and continued teaching the class as normal.

She liked him already.

When lunch rolled around, Luna was pleased to sit with her new group of friends; which included Elena, Caroline, Stefan, and a new face: Bonnie. A dark skin girl with wavy chocolate waterfalls for hair and pools of hazel for eyes who managed to be sweet and sassy all at the same time. Like everyone else in the group, she was stunning.

Luna wondered for a moment if she somehow got a seat at the 'popular table' her first day, figuring this unlikely she brushed it off. Since when were those kinds of people nice anyway?

Lunch consisted of everything Luna wanted as a normal high school girl, gossip, laughing, smiles, and friends. Mystic Falls seemed to be a place of magic and impossibility, that was the only explanation for her happiness and new-found friends.

The day however good it was like all days has to come to an end. When the bell rang signaling 3:00 o'clock went off, Elena had driven them home and bid goodbye to the auburn-haired girl, making her way inside her home with her brother.

Luna, however, turned to her new house, sighing as she walked inside to spot a drunk (but thankfully, passed out) John in the living room, the TV still on illuminating the room as it talked about some animal attack in town. Luna ignored it and walked upstairs to her bedroom, tossing her bag on the dark wood floor and laying back on her bed wrapping herself in yellow covers, her eyes closed in content.

 _Today was a good day_ Luna thought, a rare smile on her lips as she lay in bed cocooned in blankets reflecting on her first day of school.

Unfortunately, the happiness she felt was already starting to wear off as her surroundings pulled her back down from the clouds of her fantasies and into the water. Slowly drowning her in the truth and pain of her life.

The problem with happiness is that it's fleeting. For a moment in time you feel complete and utterly euphoric, but once it's gone the reality of the world comes crashing down around you. And for Luna, this was almost too much to bear.

The happy moments of her life, however few, were like the seeds of a dandelion; drifting through the wind as white puffs scattered in the air. But you can only see the beauty for a second, till it disappears amongst the blades of grass and it's gone.

The happy moments never seem to last, and the stark difference between them and the other fragments of time in her life was too depressing to think about. The agony of her surroundings was too much.

Her life was pain. The kind of pain most people don't know anything about. But I think a part of her was grateful for that, it made her feel. And some days…most days she felt nothing.

The smiles that appeared on her face were mostly fake and the laughs that spilled from her lips were broken echo's pre-recorded in her mind to mask the truth. It's the kind of pain that changes people, and even if it was to magically go away and the unbearable weight was lifted off her chest she would never be the same.

The pain she felt was suffocating, she was screaming out for someone to help her but no one was listening. No one could hear her. Her mouth didn't ask for help, but her eyes, now hollow and dim, begged for it.

She was driven by her numbness, to feel anything for a moment. She wanted love. She wanted real conversations. She wanted to feel something good and real for the first goddamn time in her life. She wanted to feel that spark, illuminated in people's eyes when they spoke, to feel that passion for life and the people in it instead of the inner turmoil between pain and complete numbness that was going on inside her head like a game of tug of war. She bounced back in between the two, never staying on one for long. Only feeling her agony or nothing at all.

But no matter how hard she tried or how happy she was for a moment, the pain always came back, with a burning intensity and ache that she felt in the center of her being, in everything that she was.

I guess that's the funny thing about pain, it demands to be felt.


	5. Chapter Five: Whiskey and Lies

**Hi, guys, hope everyone is enjoying the story. Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated. The song Boats and Birds by Gregory & the Hawk helped inspire me to write this chapter. I'm not sure about the rules in the US, as I live in Canada, regarding serving alcohol, but for the purposes of this story, Luna is able and qualified to do so.**

Two days later, on a cool Wednesday evening when her bruises had smudged and the fingerprints that littered her skin had faded to white marks like flour on her flesh she had her first day of work at the Mystic Grill. Thanks to a certain blue-eyed, fair-haired boy she scored an interview as a bartender.

Which she nailed.

She was nervous and full of jitters. But she had experience being a bartender in the past towns she lived, besides, it wasn't all that difficult when you've been around an alcoholic your whole life. Unlike school, she didn't really have anything to be nervous about (not counting the drunk groping hands of lonely men).

She walked out of the staff room, a black apron tied around her narrow waist, accenting her other black attire, like the crisp _Mystic Grill_ imbordered t-shirt (compliments of the manager). Her long legs lead her towards the bar surrounded with leather stools and drunken men. She walked behind it, taking her place as a bartender.

Turning to face a customer who sat down in front of her, she was surprised to see the Peruvian blue eyes and sexy smirk before her.

"Damon?" Luna questioned.

Damon's grin only widened, showing off a perfect set of pearly whites. "I'll have a whiskey," he stated, licking his lips as his eyes rested on hers.

"Can I see some ID?" Luna teased, a matching grin lighting up her face without her even realizing it.

Damon laughed.

A nice laugh, that soothed her ears and reminded her of warm honey and spring mornings.

"I'm a lot older than you think, sweetheart," Damon replied, leaning forward on his elbows as he spoke.

"Don't call me sweetheart," Luna grumbled, the soft smirk never leaving her lips as she scooped ice into a tumbler.

Damon watched as the mysterious girl before him poured the amber liquid into the glass, his eyes flicking from her small hands grasping the neck of the bottle to her face. His eyes picking up every detail of her skin in crystal clear definition, more than any human could possibly see. He saw the faintest outline of fingers on her cheek, covered and hidden with makeup, but it was there.

And without even noticing, the playful smirked fell from his lips.

"Here's your drink," Luna said, a wide grin still on her face as she slid the glass towards the raven-haired man.

She was completely clueless to his discovery. But this wouldn't be the first time Damon uncovered her secrets.

She was an enigma wrapped in a mystery. Completely unsolvable, but I guess that's because nobody bothered.

"So exactly how old are you?" Luna questioned, wiping her hands on her apron.

"I guess you could say twenty-something" he replied with a shrug.

"Huh, you're full of mystery, aren't you?" Luna marvelled.

"That makes two of us then," Damon answered, leaning closer to the bartender before him.

"What?" Luna asked, as her fingers danced in hair and twirled it like ribbons on their own accord.

"Don't play dumb, I know you're riddled with secrets. A girl like you, I'd be surprised if you ever told the truth." Damon explained, his eyes darkening.

Luna swallowed and stood up straighter as the smirk melted off her lips like hot wax. No one has ever called her out on her bullshit before.

"Enjoy your whiskey," Luna answered coolly, walking over to another customer with Damon's eyes following her the whole time.

She tried to concentrate on what drink the customer wanted, but her thoughts were racing. No one had ever seen that she was completely full of it and lying through her teeth. Yet Damon, within a few minutes saw the pain in her eyes and the secrets locked within them. No one had ever called her out on her bullshit before, and it felt good in a strange way.

Glancing over her shoulder, at the smoldering eyes that peered at her through hooded lids and the rim of a whiskey glass she realized he must be hiding something too. The mysterious atmosphere around him wasn't something she was imagining.

Between the two of them, they had enough secrets to eat someone alive.

More than a few whiskeys later, when the light outside faded from a pale yellow to a burnt orange that illuminated the various amber liquids and glass bottles on the wall behind Luna, her and Damon were the only two left in the bar.

A slightly drunker version of Damon sat hunched on a worn leather stool (which Luna thought might possibly be worn from the blue-eyed man himself) his elbows on the bar and one hand, adorned with a large deep blue ring, cradled his head.

"What are you hiding" Damon spoke, breaking the silence that had settled between the two like snowflakes on the ground.

Luna looked up from the glass tumbler she was wiping out with a cloth and over at Damon.

"I'll tell if you do." She replied, flicking her eyes back down to the glass for a moment before setting it down and making her way back towards the handsome figure.

"You wouldn't believe me if I did." He stated.

"Try me." Luna offered, moving till she was directly in front of the stranger who knew her better than every friend she had ever had.

Damon leaned forward, a dangerous spark in his eyes as his lips parted "You'd be scared of me." He concluded, alcohol wafting from his breath and fogging his mind.

"I think you're the only person I'm not scared of," Luna mumbled softly.

Damon used his hand, that a moment ago was cradling his head, to brush a stray lock of hair from her eyes. "You should be." He protested, his voice lowering to match hers.

Luna didn't move or break the eye contact between the two. Even if they weren't alone she swore it would have felt that way, like they were the only two on the planet. As cheesy as it all sounded, even to her own mind, she felt like she was floating, lost in the sea of his eyes and drowning in the best possible way.

"What's so bad about you? What are you hiding?" Luna said, echoing his words from earlier.

Damon leaned closer, till she could taste the whiskey on his breath that mixed with the good intentions nestled in his eyes "I'm dangerous, the kind of dangerous that gets people killed. And sometimes I don't even feel bad about it." Damon answered, searching her eyes for the reassurance that it's okay that he's been looking for his whole life.

"Sometimes I think I could kill Joh-…." Luna stopped herself before she gave away everything.

"Sometimes I think I could kill _someone_ ," she said, starting over. "and not even feel bad about it. I would revel in it. I guess it's some twisted revenge fantasy of mine." Luna croaked, taking her bottom lip between her teeth and chewing it.

"You're full of surprises, aren't you?" Damon asked, but wasn't really looking for an answer.

"Who hurt you" Damon whispered, his fingers trailing from her hair to her battered cheek that only his eyes could see.

Luna pulled back quickly like his touch had burned her fair skin.

"I think it's time to close up, you should go," Luna stated, crossing her arms to stop him from seeing them shake.

Damon stood, glancing at the broken girl before him as he spoke: "You should be careful, you never know what kind of monster lurk in the shadows."

"Or in the light," Luna said bitterly.

Part of him wasn't sure if she was talking about him or whoever broke her.

Damon starred at her for a moment, drinking in her features: a guarded look and stormy eyes that were scrounging to hide the truth. She was different than anyone he had ever met.

"Have a good night Luna" Damon finished, turning and walking towards the exit, pausing only to turn and say "Be safe." Before he vanished into the night.

Luna, now completely alone, slid down onto the cold floor of the grill, drew her knees to her chest and rested her chin on top of them. And for a moment she let everything crash around her, like the waves of the ocean, filling her lungs with water till she was suffocating. The honesty in those few moments was enough to break down her walls and tear down her defenses. So, she let herself drown in it, for only a moment she let go as a single tear slid down her cheek and onto the linoleum beneath her.


	6. Chapter Six: The Worst Morning

**Hey, everyone! I'm glad you guys are liking my story so far, your feedback is always welcomed and makes my day. Some of my inspiration came from Long Time Running by The Tragically Hip. I hope everyone enjoys!**

The next morning was not a good morning for Luna.

It all started when her alarm didn't go off. Staying late at The Grill was good for her pay cheque but not for her sleep schedule. She was exhausted. Now that she thought about it, she's not sure if she would have woken up if her alarm went off anyway.

She was woken from her slumber by the images of dark hallways, shadowy fingers, and the echoes of her own scream bouncing off the walls of her mind.

This was usual for her; her mind was a constant battleground even when she slept. The nightmares of her life were often mirrored in her dreams.

The brown-haired girl lurched up in her bed, her pale legs tangled in the sheets and sweat covered her neck making her hair stick. She pushed her hair back with a trembling hand as her chest heaved.

The sunlight glittered between the dancing curtains and caught her eyes. _It's really bright out_ Luna thought as she looked outside through the slip in her drapes. Grabbing her phone off her nightstand she checked the time.

8:50 am.

Luna jumped out of the bed, her left foot getting caught in the sheet and causing her to stumble and land on her knees. Not even feeling the stinging in her knees, she got up and ran to her closet throwing on a pair of black yoga pants and a plain grey t-shirt.

Grabbing her 'classic' leather jacket and toeing on her shoes, she made her way out her bedroom door and down the stairs.

Unfortunately, her bad luck only continued from here.

Elena had already left for school. Although the brunette neighbour had waited as long she could for her new friend, she knew her first day of work was last night so she assumed she wasn't coming when the girl was thirty minutes late.

With only ten minutes left till class started, she didn't have much of a choice but to walk because there was no way in hell she was going to ask John for a ride to school.

Ten minutes later, when it hit 9:00 am and her class was starting, Luna was still walking on the heated cement sidewalk to her school, which was still eight blocks away.

Already admitting defeat and that she would be late, Luna slowed her pace and admired the sunny day before her. Luna could hear a melody floating through the air and over a white picket fence and smell the coals of a barbecue mixed with the hearty smell of hamburgers and hotdogs. The sweet smell of flowers and fresh cut grass tickled her nose as she strolled around the corner. However, the roar of an engine cut through the soft music and drew her attention to a blue muscle car.

The car pulled up beside her and the window rolled down as a familiar head of black disheveled hair leaned out the window accompanied by a classic grin.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" Damon said, his tone playful.

"Shouldn't you be half-way through a whiskey bottle by now?" Luna replied, her tone matching his.

"I think I'll keep my drinking time at The Grill to when you're there" Damon grinned.

"Lucky for you I work almost every night." She continued.

"Honestly though, do you need a ride? Normally I don't do this but for a girl who's going to be serving my alcohol…" he suggested, laughter littering his voice.

"I would love one." Luna said, walking around the car and getting into the passenger seat. "and I love your car" she added.

"It's like everything you say makes me like you more" Damon expressed, as he revved the engine and took off down the road.

Luna smiled at him, looking over at the man who always seemed to brighten her day whenever he was around.

"I'm surprised you're so chipper, I thought you would be at home curled under the blankets in the dark recovering from your wicked hangover." Luna pressed, glancing at the driver from the corner of her eye, only to see his lip twitch upward for a fraction of a second.

"I don't get hungover" Damon confessed, matching the petite girls sideways glance.

"That must be handy for an alcoholic" Luna teased.

"You're hilarious," Damon said dryly.

"I know." She answered slyly. "So where were you headed, if not The Grill?" continued the teen.

"Definitely not to high school" the vampire sneered.

Luna laughed, "Lucky you."

It didn't matter what mood she was in, she always seemed to laugh around this guy. And not her usual fake watered down laugh that didn't even sound real to her own ears anymore. No. A real laugh, where her eyes crinkled around the edges, her nose smushed up, and she broke into a real smile, that was all teeth and happiness.

All too soon the blue muscle car pulled into a familiar lot of the high school, and to the main entrance where some students still gathered.

"Thanks for the ride, Damon" Luna said sincerely.

"For you, it was my pleasure," Damon replied

"I should really get going…" The teen trailed off not moving from her spot.

Damon brushed a stray copper strand behind Luna's ear as he noticed her usual locket missing from her neck, "Or you could stay" the Salvatore spoke softly, as his eyes began to dilate.

Luna stared into his orbs of blue, memorized and lost in the ocean of his eyes. But only for a moment.

"How do you do that?" she asked.

"Do what?" Damon said, as his pupils grew and shrunk on command.

"That thing with your eyes" Luna explained

The black-haired man only shrugged, and let his hand drop from the girl's face.

"Have a good day at school, Luna" Damon finished, a spark of curiosity illuminating his eyes.

Without another word, Luna hopped out of the car and made her way inside the school. The copper haired girl looked over her shoulder, casting a glance at the vampire inside the car. Their eyes connected, and Luna gave him a small wave and walked through the doors.

Hurrying to class, Luna took a deep breath before she entered Mr. Saltzman's class.

"Nice of you to join us, Luna" Alaric announced, as the teen attempted to sneak past the older man.

"Sorry I'm late Mr. Saltzman, my alarm didn't go off," Luna explained sheepishly.

The teacher nodded, a small smile on his face.

"Take your seat." Alaric finished, turning back to the board to write some key dates in history.

Luna hurriedly sat in her seat, behind Stefan and beside Elena.

The brunette leaned over to the other teen, "Sorry I wasn't there to give you a ride, I thought you were skipping today." Elena expressed sincerely.

Luna leaned towards Elena as she whispered "It's okay, my alarm didn't go off and I didn't wake up till 8:50"

"How did you get to school so fast?" Questioned the doe-eyed girl.

"Damon drove me," Luna responded, her voice thick and sweet like maple syrup.

Stefan turned around in his chair to face Luna, an unreadable expression on his face.

"What?" he asked sharply.

Luna looked between Elena and Stefan, confusion clear on her flawless features.

"What's the big deal? He offered, and I didn't want to be any later than I already was." Luna clarified.

Elena and Stefan shared a look before the olive-skinned girl replied: "Luna…I know he seems charming and everything but you can't trust him. He's trouble. He's dangerous."

Luna frowned "What is with you guys? He's not dangerous, he's actually kind of sweet…and I've met far more dangerous people in my life" she retorted.

"You don't know him like we do." Elena explained, gesturing between Stefan and herself "He's manipulative and a liar. He's no good for you."

Stefan nodded and added, "He's my brother, and I know him better than anyone else and I'm saying stay away."

Luna sighed and shook her head "I can't believe you guys. I know you know him better than me, but he's been nothing but nice to me and I'm not going to ice him out because you think he's bad news. Just because he has a bad past doesn't mean he's a bad person."

Elena opened her mouth to speak, but before she could Mr. Saltzman cut in "Ladies, Mr. Salvatore attention up front please."

The rest of the class went by without any interrupts, and without any conversation between the three.

When the bell rang signaling the end of class, Luna swiftly gathered her things and walked into the hall, becoming lost in a sea of people.

Elena slowly packed her books into her burgundy coloured knapsack as the rest of the class filtered out of the room.

"I wish she would see that we are just trying to help her, keep her safe." Elena reasoned, looking over at Stefan.

"I know, me too," Stefan replied, crossing his arms and leaning against his desk. "She thinks he's this nice guy but he's not. I don't know what he wants with her, but ever since he found out that she couldn't be compelled he's been enthralled with her."

Alaric, who couldn't help but overhear the conversation between the two interjected: "She can't be compelled?"

Stefan only shook his head in response.

"Is she a vampire?"

Stefan shook his head again.

"Vervain?"

"I don't think so" Elena revealed.

"Well, what the hell is she then?!" Alaric proclaimed.

"We have no idea," Stefan confessed.

Later on, that day, Luna sat alone in the cafeteria, a feeling she knew all too well consuming her.

Her new friends, if she could still call them that, sat two tables over staring at the chestnut-haired girl, whispering amongst themselves.

Trying to ignore them, Luna checked her phone which had a surprise message from an unknown number on it.

 _How's school?_

Luna stared curiously at the message as she typed: **Fine, who's this?**

 _Your taxi and drinking buddy._

Unconsciously, a smile lit up Luna's face as she texted back: **Damon. How did you get my number?**

 _I have my ways, you're not the only one with secrets._

 **Your brother and Elena are telling me you're dangerous and that I should stay away from you.**

 _They're probably right._

 **So, I should listen then? And stay far, far away?**

 _I never said that._

 **Will you be at The Grill tonight?**

 _Will you?_

 **Yes.**

 _Then yes._

Luna smiled and locked her phone, tucking it into her pocket as she picked at her food. She couldn't help the happiness that ballooned inside her when she talked to him. It felt stupid, but even after a shitty day like this one, where it had the absolute worst start, he managed to be that glimmer of sunlight on a stormy day.

Maybe today wouldn't be that bad after all.


	7. Chapter Seven: Drunken Nights

**Hey, everyone sorry about the long wait between chapters. I went away for the week to visit family and didn't have much time to write! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter, as always, your encouragement and reviews are welcomed and appreciated. The song I Built a Friend by Alec Benjamin helped inspire me to write this chapter!**

That night at The Grill was busier than most. Apparently, there was some band coming to play or something, Luna didn't really know. Or care.

She was too busy to care.

Luna didn't think she had ever made this many drinks in her life. She hurriedly topped off whiskeys, created cocktails, and mixed martinis all the while her mind was still on Damon. Unfortunately, no matter how stupid it was, the raven-haired man was the focus of her thoughts. And whenever The Grill door opened, her eyes flicked up, searching for the ocean eyed bad boy hoping it was him coming through the door as promised.

Except it wasn't.

Just when she had given up, and the night was winding down and coming to a close The Grill door opened for the millionth time and in walked the center of all Luna's thoughts (even though she would never admit it out loud).

Luna looked down, focusing on the drink she was making to hide her smile, while Damon sauntered over doing anything but hiding the smirk that graced his lips. Casually plopping himself down in a barstool in front of Luna, he leaned forward and tugged on one of her stray curls.

"Hello, bartender?" rang Damon's voice, causing her to look up.

"Oh, Damon. I didn't notice you." Luna explained, her upper lip threatening to break into a grin.

"Oh, you didn't huh?" Damon said, a not so subtle layer of doubt mixed in with disbelief "then explain why your heart started beating faster as soon as I walked in."

Luna narrowed her eyes at him in surprise and confusion "How did you know that?" she questioned.

"Oh, you know…" Damon trailed off mysteriously.

Luna shook it off and chalked it up to her fast rising chest or the hard pumping in her carotid artery as she poured him a whiskey, sliding it over into his hand which caught the drink without missing a beat.

"I'm surprised you weren't by earlier tonight," Luna said, trying to play off her tone as casual as she began to wipe down the bar.

"Why? Did you miss me?" Damon smirked.

"What? No, I-" Luna started

"it's okay you can admit it. I'm irresistible." Damon cut in, a twinkle in his eye.

"I seem to recall me turning you down" Luna retorted.

Having brought this up Damon's eyes flashed something she didn't recognize and began to darken.

"Yeah…how did you do that?" Damon said curiously.

Luna rolled her eyes "Okay, you're hot but it's not like no one has ever said no to you before, right?" Luna inquired

"Only one girl," Damon said, his mind fogging over with memories of a certain curly haired woman, adorned with fancy jewelry, corset dresses, and fangs.

"Damon?" Luna questioned, as Damon spaced out before her like he was reliving another time.

If Luna looked close enough she might have seen the glimmer of his past and the ghosts within it reflected in his eyes. But just like that, it was gone and the arrogant Salvatore was back before her eyes, acting like he never left.

Downing his drink in a gulp, Damon slid the tumbler back towards Luna.

"Another," Damon grumbled

"Hard day?" inquired Luna, unscrewing the cap on the whiskey, and refilling his glass.

"Hard century," Damon admitted.

Luna laughed, her eyes sparkling, "Feels that way sometimes, doesn't it?" she paused as he reached across the bar, slipping his hand around the glass and pulling it towards him to take greedy sips. "If you're going to drink like this for the rest of the night you better give me your keys" she continued, holding out her open palm.

"I think I'll be fine" Damon protested, finishing another whiskey.

"Keys or no more drinks." Luna deadpanned, eliciting a groan from Damon.

"Come ooon" Damon begged, his bottom lip jutting out slightly.

"You're cute, but no." Luna declared, much to Damon's dismay.

Damon sighed, handing over his keys to the bourbon-haired bartender, "Don't let these out of your sight, I love that damn car." Damon said seriously.

"I'll guard it with my life" Luna offered, a smile playing on her rose-tinted lips as she tucked the keys into her pocket.

Many whiskeys's later; when the bottle was almost empty and Damon sat hunched over the bar top, a half-filled glass in hand and eyes fogged over with the copious amount of alcohol in his system like he was trying to look through all the glasses he drank, the two were once again the only two left in the bar.

Luna had finished wiping down the bar and cleaning up the remaining glasses about fifteen minutes ago, however, a certain blue-eyed Salvatore guzzling down whiskey's like they were water and he was parched made it hard for her to leave.

But she didn't mind. Better here than home, right?

Especially with Damon around.

However, as she poured the remaining bit of whiskey into his glass, finishing off the bottle that he started and the clock ticked away well past midnight, she figured they better call it a night.

"Well, I think that's enough for you tonight. I don't even know how you're still upright." Luna uttered

"I guess you could say I have a really high tolerance" Damon slurred

"Uh huh," Luna said as she made her way around the bar and over to Damon, "It's time to go home, come on, I'll drive you." She continued

"I'm fine, I'm not even that drunk" Damon said, his voice catching on the words as he struggled to sound sober.

"You're not. Come on." Luna reasoned, tucking one of her arms under his leather-clad one to help him stand.

Damon leaned against her; his head coming to rest on top of hers and his arm snaking around her narrow waist.

"You gonna take care of me?" Damon mumbled, his voice thick with whiskey and unanswered questions.

"Yeah, Damon. I'll take care of you." Luna reassured, her voice soft and delicate.

Damon hummed in content as he leaned into the smaller girl, as she led him outside. She quickly unlocked the blue muscle car, opened the door, and maneuvered Damon inside and into the passenger seat.

Luna buckled the drunken man in, closed the door and got in the driver's side, doing the same for herself. She started the car with a rumble of the engine, as she looked over at Damon.

"Are you driving my car?" Damon questioned, with the raise of an eyebrow

"Well I don't have my own" Luna reasoned

"Be careful with it," Damon warned, leaning his head back against the seat and closing his eyes.

Luna carefully pulled out of the parking lot, taking a left down the paved road.

"Don't fall asleep on me" Luna called "I still don't know where you live…or how to get there"

Without opening his eyes, Damon replied "Take the next left at the lights, it's straight from there for about five minutes. I live in the Salvatore Boarding house, you'll know it when you see it."

Luna nodded, even though Damon couldn't see her, and made her way down the stretch of pavement that seemed to last for miles.

When Luna pulled into the Salvatore Boarding house she was stunned, she figured mansion would be a better descriptor as she came to a stop outside the front door.

"This is where you live?" Luna gasped, eyes trailing over the numerous bricks and greenery.

"Mhmm. Me and my brother" Damon said, one eye opening to peek at the girl beside him

"Just you two?" Luna asked

"Just us two." Damon clarified, unbuckling his seatbelt and shrugging it off.

"Let me come 'round and help you." Luna volunteered, shutting off the loud muscle car and undoing her own belt to come around to the passenger side door.

Wrapping her arms under his she carefully hoisted him up and out of the car and with his help, she managed to lean him up against the car while she closed the door.

"Let's get you inside and into bed," Luna said, wrapping her arm under one of his and across his back.

"Into bed already?" Damon teased, eyebrows wiggling as he continued "on the second date, nonetheless?"

Luna laughed, something Damon kept making her do. "You wish. But I don't take advantage of drunk people" Luna explained, helping him walk into the mansion before them.

"I would let you" Damon grinned, showing off his pearly whites

"Alright, come on," Luna said, kicking the door behind her close as she made her way over to the staircase.

"You don't even lock your door?" She pondered, now just realizing it

"It's Mystic Falls, nothing bad ever happens here," Damon said, his voice covered in thick layers of sarcasm, like blankets on a cold winter night.

"You know every time someone says that bad things always happen, like right after the person says it." Luna gulped, as the pair slowly made their way up the stairs.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you" Damon promised, alcohol wafting off his breath.

"In your state? I would be the one protecting you." Luna concluded

Damon laughed, a real throaty laughed that hung in the air and seeped into Luna's skin, infecting her with laughter as they reached the top of the staircase.

"Which way is your room?" Luna inquired, her eyes searching the many halls filled with numerous doors

"Far right, at the end of the hall," Damon replied

"It's really beautiful here," Luna said in awe, looking around as the two walked

I think it would be too cliché to say Damon was gazing at the copper-haired girl with ivory for skin when she said it was beautiful. But I would be lying if I said Damon didn't spare a glance in her direction, blue eyes flicking down to the battered bartender.

When the pair made it into Damon's room, Luna couldn't help but let her eyes wander, inspecting the king-sized bed with luxurious bedding and matching furniture throughout the room.

"I love your room" Luna voiced

"I'm sure you do," Damon said, a grin fixated on his face

"Okay smart guy, let's get you to bed." Luna quipped, helping him sit on the plush fabric.

When Luna finally managed to get him into the bed she pulled off his shoes and pushed his legs onto the bed, pulling a spare blanket off the end of the bed to cover him.

"Tucking me in?" Damon teased, his voice light and clear

"I said I would take care of you, didn't I?" Luna insisted

"Yeah, I guess you did…" Damon trailed off

"Lay on your side, you could choke if you throw up in the night" Luna fretted, climbing beside him on the bed to help him roll over.

Damon easily rolled onto his side, all signs of drunken limbs gone, and pulled her down with him in a quick motion. Luna landed on her side as well, facing the blue-eyed Salvatore, noses almost touching and his arm around her waist.

"Damon?" Luna asked, her voice soft and minty as it puffed against his lips

"Mhmm?" Damon responded, his eyes boring into hers like he could read her every thought.

As silly as it sounds, Luna could feel his gaze in the deepest parts of her, picking her apart piece by piece revealing her core for everything that she was and ever could be. Like all her secrets were out in the open for once, instead of stuck in choked words in her throat or fading bruises on her body.

Luna decided, maybe just for tonight, she could let go.

"Tell me about yourself, all the deep dark secrets and truths that are bubbling just beneath the surface waiting to break free," Luna whispered, her sentence coming out in one big breath.

"I will if you will." Damon offered.

The two talked all night; about their lives and family, about everything and nothing all at the same time, till the sun started to peak in-between the clouds and Luna's voice began to slur with sleep as her eyes closed in the middle of a sentence and she was taken by sleep.

He tucked a stray hair of auburn behind her ear delicately, just letting the pads of his fingers brush against her cheek as he watched her sleep.

His eyes; blue and swirling like the ocean during a storm, analyzed her face, taking in every detail, every muscle movement, freckle, scar, and bruise engraving it into his mind.

That night Damon didn't get much sleep, if any at all; his eyes refusing to close, as they drank in the sight of Luna asleep, her chest rising softly with every breath.

The same strand fell back from behind her ear and across her face, tickling her cheek making her nose crinkle. Damon once again tucked it softly behind her ear, never missing a beat.

I guess he really wasn't that drunk after all.


	8. Chapter Eight: Volunteer Day Part 1

**Hey, everyone, sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. I just started my job for the summer so I was pretty busy, so I thought a big chapter was deserved! I hope you guys enjoy; favourites, follows, and comments are loved, inspiring, and appreciated as always.**

The sun, which warms the earth below and flitters between the gaps of curtains and bent blinds, drifted in from under the heavy black curtains covering the windows in the eldest Salvatore's bedroom. If one were to follow the beams of broken sunlight that stretched across the floor they would see the tips of sun rays tickling the edges of the bed and sprawling across the duvet and matching sheets in a kaleidoscope of pale and vibrant yellows.

The morning sun had only just begun to peak out from beneath the blanket of clouds and re-emerge after a long and chilly night. In it, birds basked in shallow ponds, chirping melodies of morning tunes and the smell of roasted coffee beans drifted up the stairs.

Luna, never much of a heavy sleeper (whether it be for safety, a learned precaution over time, she couldn't be sure of), was awoken by the sound of a lawn mower in the distance and the echoing of footsteps hitting hardwood.

Even though she was now awake, however, still caught in the blissful haze of purgatory dreams, her eyes remained closed. A content sigh (or maybe it was more of a hum) escaped her lips as she was completely enveloped by warmth and comfort. Luna wasn't quite sure where she was and to be quite honest, she didn't care at the moment. She felt warm. She felt safe.

God, it felt nice.

Almost like she was basking in the sun for the very first time, feeling the pleasant heat of the rays dance across her skin and leave bronzed coloured kisses where it touched.

Her eyes still remained closed, even as the presence of an arm slung across her waist and the hot breath of someone else on the back of her neck became known because in her experience this feeling wouldn't last long.

Luna just wanted to enjoy the sun a little while longer.

When she finally gathered enough strength to open her eyes, she was met with unfamiliar surroundings.

 _Where am I?_ Luna thought, confusion marring her features.

The arm, since forgotten, that wrapped around her waist tugged her in closer, anchoring her to Earth (and to the bed, for that matter).

And just like that, it all flooded back. The Grill, the drinks, the talking, and Damon. A content smile blossomed on her face as she thought of him, he was her sunlight. Twisting and turning around under the weight of his arm, till she maneuvered to face him was no easy task. But she managed. Now she lay, nose to nose and heart to heart with him. Her eyes examined his face, taking in the long dark lashes and ink coloured hair disheveled by sleep.

How could someone be so beautiful?

Damon, who lay deadly still, but awake since Luna opened her eyes, listened to the sound of her heartbeat. Picking up and raising ever so slightly when she woke, only to settle into a soft beat, calming to his ears.

She was alive.

It sounds stupid to say, of course, she was alive. This wasn't the first time he's heard her heart beat, he's heard it plenty of times. But that's not the kind of alive he's talking about.

He can feel her soul, seeping out of her skin and into the air. It hangs there, daunting him, flaunting it in his face till it's almost suffocating.

Good thing vampires don't need to breathe.

Her skin is electric, he can feel it when he touches her. The slightest brush of a finger can elicit feelings deep within him, lighting off sparks in their wake.

She is the opposite of everything that he is. Dead. Cold. Hard.

She's so god damn alive.

And god is she warm. Like a little fireplace, snuggled up against him.

She is soft. Her eyes, although sometimes sad or fiery are gentle. Compassionate. Like hot chocolate or warm cookies, her eyes are comforting and sweet.

He knows she likes to play tough, and she is, after all the shit she's been through you would have to be, but she's not hard or bitter. Not like Damon. She hasn't had decades or centuries to harden, she stills sees the good in people. Even though she likes to pretend she doesn't.

Damon thinks it's foolish, maybe even stupid. Because people will disappoint you, 99% of the time they will let you down, crush your soul and break your heart. So, Damon stopped believe in that 1%, but Luna never did.

In fact, I think she sees a little bit of that 1% in every single person she meets. Including Damon.

Damon likes to pretend he doesn't notice these things, but he does. Sometimes it's all he can think about.

"Are you awake?" Luna whispers, her voice cutting through the early morning silence in the thin air between them.

"Mhmm" Damon hums in reply, eyes still closed in content.

"Someone's in the house, I can hear them walking around," Luna adds, a slight twinge of fear slipping between the gaps in her words and floating in the air.

"It's just Stefan, he lives here too you know?" Damon replies.

Luna nods, even though she knows Damon can't see her.

"I never pegged you as snuggly," Luna says if more than anything to fill the silence in the room.

Damon's eyes flickered open, like a light switch on the fritz that turns on and off without warning. The blue glow of his eyes illuminated the space between them, "There's a lot you don't know about me" he counters, and even in the light of the morning when Luna would much rather be in dreamland than reality, Damon is being his typical snarky and mysterious self.

"I think I know a lot more after last night" Luna suggested.

Damon licked his lower lip for a moment, running it between his teeth for a second before tacking on, almost as an afterthought (though it clearly wasn't) "Wanna come to a park opening?"

"A what?" Luna repeats

"It's some stupid thing the town does with everyone, it's called volunteer day, everyone is helping open a park. Thought you might like to come." Damon shrugs, causing his nose to brush against hers

"Yeah okay, when is it?" Luna asks, only leaning in closer to the older man.

"Today," Damon replies

Luna laughs, her breath hitting his cheeks as she talks "Thanks for the notice. I'll have to borrow some clothes or something. I can't exactly wear my uniform to this."

Damon nods, "Stefan probably has some of Elena's stuff lying around that you can borrow. I'm sure she wouldn't mind for her new BFF" a grin falling onto his lips as he finishes.

"Me all dolled up in Elena's clothes?" Luna chuckles "That will be a site for sure."

"You'll still be gorgeous," Damon says, his eyes flicking down to her lips. "Just a little less badass"

"I really wan-" Luna starts as his bedroom door opens, cutting her off.

"Damon, what are we going to do about Mas-" Stefan stopped, mid-sentence as he came through the door.

"...Luna?" The younger Salvatore asked, "is that you?"

Luna turned over in Damon's arms, to face the green-eyed teen "Hi..." she replied, a sheepish smile illuminating her face, while a smug one was plastered on Damon's.

"What are you doing in Damon's bed?" Stefan asked baffled, his eyes searching her exposed skin for any signs of harm.

"Just...hanging out" Luna answered with a shrug.

"Oh my god," Stefan muttered, rubbing his face. "I told you about him. He's trouble and-"

Damon rolled his eyes and leaned back in his bed with his arms behind his head watching the scene unfold.

"And I told you, I have a mind of my own. I like him" Luna interrupted, her cheeks flushing a pale pink.

Damon's grin only widened "Not everyone is so judgy, Stefan."

Stefan shook his head and gave Damon a brooding look "It starts at 1:00"

"We'll be there!" Damon replied, fake cheeriness icing his words like a cake.

"We?" Stefan exclaimed

"Yeah, I invited Luna. I thought it would be good for her to see what this town is really about" Damon answered, a twinkle of mischief illuminating his eyes.

"I think it will be fun," Luna said, smiling and completely clueless to the silent conversation between the brothers.

"Do you have any clothes I can borrow?" Luna asked the younger Salvatore "Something of Elena's maybe?"

Stefan nodded, crossed his arms over his broad chest and sent a glare Damon's way before he left in search of clothes.

"What crawled up his ass?" Luna questioned, flopping on her back with her head in the crook of Damon's arm and pressed against his side.

"He's not really a morning person, especially when that morning involves finding you in my bed" Damon replied, snark creeping into his tone.

"Sounds like a good morning to me," Luna said, her tone light and playful.

"Me too," Damon replied, gazing down at the girl beside him.

Dressed in short jean shorts that exposed her long pale legs and a burgundy blouse (she would normally call it a t-shirt, but that word seemed too casual for this lace-trimmed garment) Luna walked side-by-side with Damon through the towns lush greenery. Damon was dressed in his usual black jeans, and a deep navy-blue button-up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

Children in summer dresses and butterfly hair clips frolicked in the fields of flowers and too long grass, parents smiled on at their children with loving eyes as they raked leaves, and teenagers sipping lemonade out of opaque cups filled the scenery.

"This really doesn't seem like your scene" Luna mused, looking around at the smiling faces.

"Are you kidding? I love it, I'm like one of the Brady Bunch!" Damon replied sarcastically.

Luna shook her head, smiling at the taller man as she did so.

In the distance, Stefan stood, a concerned look on his face as he gestured Damon over.

"Walk around, enjoy the park, be a volunteer. I'll be back." Damon said as he made his way towards his brother.

"We got a problem," Stefan whispered, once Damon was close.

"What now?" Damon asked

"The first chance Mason Lockwood gets, he's going to drive a stake through your heart, then mine. All because you took it upon yourself to try and kill him. So thank you, as if we don't have enough problems" Stefan seethed, pushing passed Damon angrily.

Across the park, under a wooden gazebo, Mason Lockwood and Sheriff Forbes stood talking in hushed tones and anxious looks.

"You have two vampires living right under your nose; Damon and Stefan Salvatore." He uttered, certainty dripping off his words.

"You have no idea what you're talking about." Sheriff Forbes spat "Damon is a friend to this town, a friend to me. He has killed vampires in front of me for Christ sakes."

"I know it's hard to comprehend, but the attacks started as soon as they got to town," Mason explained.

"No. You're wrong. They walk in the sun." The blonde reasoned.

"They've figured out a way passed that, it's not 1864 anymore, Liz." Mason explained, "Let me prove it to you." He continued, before turning on his feet and walking away.

Luna, feeling slightly uncomfortable in her coloured clothes and legs exposed sat on a newly constructed wooden bench on the outskirts of the crowd. Her fingernails, covered in chipped paint, pick at an old scar the stretched across her thigh absently.

"Aren't you the life of the party?" came a voice from behind her.

Luna knocked out of her cloud of thoughts turned back towards the voice to be faced with a smirking surfer boy.

"Not really my scene," Luna explained, turning back around to face a large willow tree.

The taller man walked around the bench and sat beside her, "I'm Mason Lockwood" he said, introducing himself to the petite teen.

"Luna Rose," she offered in reply

"Did I see you come in with Damon Salvatore?" He asked, looking over at her curiously.

"I don't know, did you?" Luna quipped.

Mason laughed, but not a real, friendly laugh that caused his eyes to crinkle, the kind of fake and hard laugh that sent goosebumps across her arms.

"I did. What's someone like you doing with someone like him?" He questioned

Luna rolled her eyes and balled her fists on top of her thighs. "What is with everyone? He's done nothing bad to me, unlike some people who everyone just thinks is fine and dandy. Why does everyone keep warning me about him? Like he's someone awful because he's not. He's a lot fucking nicer than a lot of people."

Mason raised his hands in defense "Woah. Calm down, I was just trying to protect you from that dick." He reasoned

Luna stood, her hands resting on her hips as she turned to face him "The only dick here is you."

Mason's eyes darkened over, with a look Luna was all too familiar with "You better watch yourself, little girl" he snarled, standing up to tower over the smaller girl.

"Or what?" Luna taunted, jutting out her chin as she spoke.

Mason narrowed his eyes at the auburn haired, stubborn teen. "You don't want to know." He growled, grasping her upper arm in his hand.

"Well, what do we have here?" Damon asked, his voice bubbling with anger and his eyes storming over.

Luna looked over at Damon, her eyes fiery and her eyebrows pulled down in the middle in anger.

"None of your concern, Damon" Mason seethed, turning to face him and letting go of Luna, leaving red indents on her arm.

Damon took a step closer, his jaw tightly clenched. "This has nothing to do with her." He warned, his voice wavering and thick with anger.

Mason grinned, having found a sore spot, "I'm not so sure," he countered "I'll be seeing you around, especially you" he added, tipping his head towards Luna as he walked away.

"Fucking asshole!" Luna yelled after the werewolf.

Damon strolled over to Luna, in two long strides. "You okay?" He sighed, eyes swelling with care.

"I'll live" Luna insisted, as bruises began to form on her pale arm.

Damon frowned. "I'll kill him. Want me to kill him? I don't mind, he's a pain in my fucking ass anyway." Damon offered darkly.

Luna looked into his blue eyes, searching them for any sign of deception or joking. She couldn't find any.

"They're just bruises, they will heal" she pointed out

"They shouldn't have to." Damon hissed

Her pale fingers reached forward intertwining with his much larger ones, giving them a comforting squeeze.

"Don't worry about it. He's just trying to get a rise out of you." Luna reasoned.

"Fine, whatever. Let's go get something to drink" Damon said, walking back towards the bustle of people, never letting go of her hand.

Under the wooden gazebo, where a lemonade stand was set up and run by a young girl in a plaid button up and denim jacket, Damon and Luna stood hand in hand in the small line.

"Would you two like some lemonade?" The young brunette asked once the couple got to the front of the line.

"We sure would," Luna said, smiling sweetly, accepting the two cups of lemonade and handing one to Damon.

Luna took a sip, of the lemonade, but something was wrong. It burned down her throat, scalding her lips and ripping apart the flesh of her mouth. The lemonade was more like acid. The pale lemon liquid dripped down her throat and into her lungs, searing her skin and choking her from the inside out. "Fuck!" She sputtered, coughing and wheezing as she clawed at her throat.

Damon, who had also taken a sip of the acidic liquid was now in the same state, his throat burning and his voice hoarse.

Stefan, seeing the scene before him rushed over towards the pair.

"What happened?" He gasped, helping the two sit down.

"Vervain" Damon manage to gasp out, his blue eyes looking over at Luna as she struggled to breathe through strangled gasps.

It was obvious to Sheriff Forbes now; Damon and Stefan Salvatore are vampires. And so was Luna Rose.


	9. Chapter Nine: Volunteer Day Part 2

**Hey, guys, sorry for the delay again I had some writers block but I got past it! Work has also been crazy but I'm back! I hope you guys enjoy, it took some pretty crazy turns and had some plot twists, but I love how it ended up. As always your feedback and favourites/follows are appreciated!**

The sound of gunfire echoed in her ears. It was a deafening sound, the kind of sound that is surrounded by silence.

Blood dripped onto the earth below and sunk into the ground, drip after drip until her body fell over, a mass of blood and agony on the ground. She couldn't hear much, if anything now, her senses dimming one by one until blackness covered her vision, and everything was still. The last thing she saw was his face, his blue eyes filled with pain and sadness.

 **1 hour Previous**

"I'm going to kill him." Damon seethed, his mouth forming into a hard line of determination.

"I'm all for it" piped up Luna from her seat on the pine picnic table, as her fingers toyed with the label on a water bottle (courtesy of Stefan, to help the burning of her throat).

"Damon!" Stefan cried, grabbing Damon by his shoulders to stop him from storming off, and forcing him to sit beside Luna, as to not draw (anymore) attention.

"I'm not listening to any more of your peace and love crap, Stefan. He's dead" Damon threatened, bucking against Stefan's hold.

"Listen to me," Stefan pleaded, desperation coating his words "I don't like it, but you're right. He's making threats to expose us and we need to put him down."

"He's in the woods on trash duty, let's go," Damon smirked, jumping to his feet.

"I can be a distraction." Luna offered her angelic voice cutting through the tension.

"No." Damon denied, at the same time that Stefan agreed.

For once it seemed, Damon was the one who wanted to be cautious.

"Are you out of your mind?" Damon hissed to both the teens in front of him. "Have you both completely lost your fucking sanity?! In what world am I the who has to tell Stefan that…" Damon trailed off shaking his head. "No. It's not happening. End of story. You wouldn't even consider this if it was Elena. We're not dangling you out there as werewolf bait, you hear me?" He finished, sending a hard look Stefan's way.

"Obviously he has some interest in her" Stefan countered, "She'll be fine. We will be hiding in the woods nearby, nothing will happen."

"I don't like it." Damon cautioned, his tone hard and his arms crossed.

Luna stood up and made her way in front of the taller man. She set her hands on his pale forearms and looked up into his impossibly blue eyes.

"Damon." She whispered, drawing his attention to her. "I'll be fine. I promise. I know you won't let anything happen to me, and you'll be right there." She finished, a delicate smile on her face and she stared into his soul.

She trusted him more than anyone. Maybe more than she should.

"Let's go kill this bastard." Damon agreed, his eyes locking on hers for a moment before he swung his arm around her shoulders and tucked her body into his.

"What's the plan?" Stefan asked, eyeing the two with curiosity.

Mischief lit up the older Salvatore's eyes as he began to spin the story of what would go down.

Nothing could go wrong.

The woods were beautiful in a weird kind of way. Not in the conventional flower meadow and sun basking wildlife kind of way, it was a darker beauty. One filled with a fading array of green and yellow grass, towering trees (some thick and lush, others barren and dried), and flowers that once held beauty and fragrance but now were smushed under trampling feet, and Luna's own footsteps as she made her way down a worn path in the dirt.

The plan was for Luna to take an innocent stroll through the woods, alone. And Mason being Mason, he would confront her, corner her, leaving him wide open and distracted. That's when Damon and Stefan would pounce.

Luna walked, making as much noise as she could, stepping on brittle branches that have fallen to the ground and crunching dried leaves under the sole of her converse.

"Well, well, well look who decided to show up" Mason's voice came from behind her.

Luna spun around on her heel, lifting the dirt from the ground as she moved.

"I was trying to be alone" Luna lied, jutting her chin out.

"I'm sure you were a sweetheart, and you just happened to stumble right to me. What a coincidence." Mason grinned, his hand coming out to play with the edge of her shirt. "Lucky you."

Luna frowned and stepped back, out of arms reach from the sandy-haired man, "I don't want anything to do with you." She snapped, her slender arms crossing against her chest.

Mason's features darkened, and she swore she saw a hint of amber illuminate his eyes, but it was gone as quick as it came.

"Listen, you little bitch," the werewolf spat, taking two long strides towards the petite teen and grasping her arm tightly. "you don't get to talk to me that way. Got it?"

A few feet away, Damon and Stefan stood, hidden by thick tree trunks covered in peeling bark and wispy blades of grass, listening to everything.

At the sound of Mason's threats, ringing clear thanks to their heightened senses, Damon's jaw clenched and his hands balled into fists on their own accord.

"That's it." He snarled, taking a step towards the pair.

"Hey," Stefan warned, reaching out a hand to pull his brother back by his broad shoulder. "Don't. Not yet, we need to wait till his back is towards us. She'll be fine for another minute." The green-eyed vampire reasoned.

Damon huffed and resumed his spot behind the tree, listening and watching every detail.

At the feeling of his hands on her, Luna felt an anger she didn't even know she possessed bubble up inside her. She was sick of being pushed around. With a strength she didn't know she possessed she shoved the older man off of her, "Leave me alone!" she bellowed, her voice uneven and shaky. But for once not with fear, with anger.

Before Mason could respond, a shot rang out, so loud it was deafening.

Luna looked around in panic and fear, trying to find where the bullet had landed.

In a tree nearby?

In the ground below?

In Mason?

She couldn't find it anywhere.

In a blur of black and navy blue, Damon appeared before her worry etched onto his handsome face. His arms reached out around her, cradling her gently in his hold.

'What's wrong?' she tried to ask, but couldn't find the words to say it.

And that's when she felt it, the burning pain in her gut that felt like it was ripping her in two. She looked down towards her torso, and saw a red smear through her top, seeping into the fabric and staining it red. It was funny, at this moment she wondered if Elena would be upset at her for staining her shirt. Her dainty hand came up to rest on top of the wound and she winced, being struck with the pain all at once.

She found the bullet.

Damon swore that if he had a beating heart it would have stopped when he saw Sheriff Forbes fire at Luna. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late. Even with his vampire speed, he couldn't get to her in time.

Blood began to ooze out of her wound, but for once it didn't appeal to him. He just wanted her to be okay. Her heartbeat, once strong and melodious in his ears was becoming faded and dim.

He had to save her. He wasn't even sure why he just had to rescue her. From this and all the other shit in her life.

He hadn't felt like this in a very long time.

Damon, uncaring of the consequences, let his fangs poke out of his gums and his face morph into his true self. Protruding dark purple and blue veins appeared under his eyes like spider webs and his eyes darkened to an impossible blue and black mixture that was anything but human. He quickly lifted his arm to his mouth, ready to bite and give her his blood, but before he could another shot rang out. And another.

This time hitting him and Stefan.

He groaned, and looked back at his former friend; Sheriff Forbes with hurt on his face and revenge is his eyes as he fell to the ground, shielding Luna.

The deputies quickly pulled out syringes of vervain and stuck one in each of them. Damon could feel the vervain enter his bloodstream, burning through his veins and towards his heart.

The last thing he saw before everything went back was Luna's face. Who was already gone.

The bubbly blonde strolled through the park, a smile on her face as she walked with her best friend: Elena.

"Is something up with you and Stefan?" Caroline asked, snapping a piece of pink bubble gum as she spoke.

Elena only shrugged in response, she didn't want to worry the blonde, not after everything she has been through.

"Elena," Caroline said, pausing her stride and lightly tugging the brunette's arm. "I know you, what's going on with you guys? Are you okay?"

Elena tucked a stray hair behind her ear and sighed "Actually there's-"she started, but was cut off by Caroline silencing her.

The brunette frowned, "Caroline, I'm trying to open up to you here and-" she tried again, only to be interrupted.

"Shhh!" shushed Caroline, brushing her hair to the side. "Do you hear that?" She asked, looking around.

"No…" Elena trailed off confused.

"It's Damon and Stefan" the vampire explained "…and Luna?" she added a hint of worry and confusion dripping for her words. And with that, she ran off into the woods.

"Caroline!" the chocolate haired teen called, and she followed her into the unknown.

Everything was cold.

The stone beneath her was impossibly hard and cold.

The arm resting against hers was freezing.

The breeze, that fluttered into the abandoned Lockwood cellar and drifted along her pale legs felt like ice water licking at her calves.

She had never been this cold or this tired in her entire life.

Luna could hear muffled voices, blanketed with vervain so that she couldn't quite make out what they were saying. Her eyelids, which felt like lead and sand encrusted refused to open, and once again everything went black.

Up the stone steps and through the forest along a beaten dirt path worn and created by frequent footsteps, Elena and Caroline were searching for the Salvatore's and Luna.

Caroline skidded to halt mid-run, nose twitching.

"They've been here." She declared, scanning the area for any sign of them and pausing on a small bush, catching a glimpse of thick red liquid oozing off a leaf.

"What is it?" Elena asked frantically.

"It's blood," Caroline answered coolly.

"What are you two doing out here?" Mason interjected, stepping out from behind a tree and menacingly towards the girls.

"Have you seen Stefan?" Elena asked, trying to keep calm.

"I sure have, Damon and Luna too." He replied smugly, taking another step towards them.

"Where are they?" she questioned, defensively.

"You don't need me for that," he said, a glimmer of arrogance seasoning his tone "I'll let your friend here sniff them out." He continued, with a nod of his head towards the curvy blonde.

"I wonder," he continued, turning towards the green-eyed girl "if your mother knows what you are." he spat with disgust. "I'm guessing not, but I'm happy to tell her." a calculated smirk rested on his lips as he strolled closer, almost in arms reach, of both girls.

Caroline narrowed her eyes and sped towards him in a blur, only to be halted when he grabbed Elena by the back of her shirt and tugged her against his chest, wrapping his muscled arm around her throat and cutting off her air supply.

"Don't be stupid" he sang arrogantly, "necks snap easily around here."

"I can take you." She threatened, ready to pounce on the surfer.

"Wanna bet?" Mason countered, tightening his hold around Elena's throat making her gasp and squirm, fingers clawing at his flesh to release her.

"Yeah, I do," Caroline said, not a trace of doubt in her voice as she blurred towards him, a mess of blonde and bubble-gum, and pinned him to a tree, her hand on his throat.

"Told ya" she quipped cockily, squeezing his airway for extra measure and sending a quick, but powerful knee to his groin using every ounce of vampire strength she possessed. Mason only groaned in response and fell onto all fours, like the dog he is.

"Don't mess with my friends." The blonde threatened, before kicking him in the stomach and sending him flying into a thick tree trunk.

And with that, the girls ran off, down the beaten paths, worn tennis shows gnawing at the earth between their feet.

Back in the stone cellar, Luna had finally managed to peel open one of her eyelids and look around. She could see the Sheriff, Caroline's mom, a few feet away. The older blonde, who looked like the younger bubbly version in so many ways, was pacing back and forth between the same strip of stone, wearing it down into nothing by the looks of it.

There were also two deputies, that's what she thinks they are called anyway. They are young, both male and handsome, in the kind of all-American way.

Not Luna's type.

And that's when she noticed the gun in sheriff Forbes hand, and a matching one in both the deputies.

Her stomach lurched and she felt sick, her hand, lying limp and numb at her side twitched and subtly moved to the wound in her stomach.

Only it was gone.

A groan eliciting from beside her, deep and throaty, with undertones of pain laced into it, came from beside her. Her teal eyes flickered over to Damon, who was only just waking and beginning to stir.

"Liz." He croaked out, the vervain making his voice thick and his thoughts foggy.

The sound of a gun firing pierced the silence, slicing through Damon's leg like it was butter.

"Fuck!" he yelled, grabbing his leg and groaning in pain.

"Answer my questions and you won't get shot, understand?" the sheriff explained, any shred of worry, doubt, or uncertainty evaporated. "How many of you are there?"

"Liz, please," Damon begged, grasping onto his wounded leg as blood seeped in between his fingers.

The sound of the gun firing fills the room and Luna squeezes her eyes shut.

She hates it.

The sound of the gun.

The smell of blood.

Damon's screams.

Her heart starts to race, and her palms begin to sweat. She's not exactly sure what's happening but it feels as if she might combust.

All of a sudden she's burning hot, insufferably so.

"How did you fool us?! Fool me!" She screams, over the echoes of gun fire bouncing off the cavernous walls. "How do you walk in the sun?" she demands, frantically shaking the gun in her hand around the steadily holding it and aiming it towards Damon.

Damon only tightens his lips, staying silent.

Liz quickly moves the gun over to Stefan's body, and fires, landing a shot into his stomach. Stefan, still unconscious from the mixture of vervain and wooden bullets remain still.

Luna thinks he's dead.

"I will drag this out painfully," she threatens, sweeping the gun towards Luna.

"I thought you were my friend!" Damon hollers, a twinge of sadness cracking through his hard exterior when he says 'friend'.

"Our friendship was a lie." The sheriff replies icily, "Answer me and I'll kill you fast" she reasons, eerily calm now.

Luna can feel the heat building in her chest, like a tight, white hot ball that's going to release any minute. She's sure her skin must be flushed and her fist clenched at her sides. But she can't feel her arms anymore, or anything really. Just anger, fear, and the burning heat.

Up the crumbling stone steps of the cellar, Elena and Caroline had just arrived.

"What is it?" asks Elena, looking around for any sign of her boyfriend.

Caroline, ignoring the brunette, tucks a blonde wave behind her ear listening to the conversation below.

' _He's not going to tell us anything, kill them all'_ her mother says, disgusted.

Caroline gasped, her hand coming up to cover her mouth in shock.

"Caroline? What's wrong? What's going on?" the doe-eyed girl questions anxiously.

"My mom…she's killing them," Caroline says, a lump forming in her throat and tears welling behind her eyes.

The burning in Luna's chest was starting to spread through out her limbs, to the tips of her fingers and down to her toenails.

"No!" She cried out loudly, panic bubbling to the surface.

Sherrif Forbes only shook her head at the girl's pleas and turned her back. She didn't want to see this.

"Put a stake in their hearts, then burn all three of them" Liz stated, making her way towards the stone steps.

Luna, filled with anxiety, fear, anger, and heat couldn't take it anymore. Her fingers began to tingle in a way she never felt before, they almost seemed to spark.

'What's happening to me?' she thought, the fear becoming too much to bear.

Her eyes, usually a milky green had turned white, unbeknownst to her, as she began to convulse on the ground.

Damon's eyes met hers.

There were full of fear and confusion.

They knew they were going to die.

Her fingers crept along the stone floor, reaching for his, only to meet half way and grasp one another. Hands becoming one and locking into place like puzzle pieces.

Suddenly, as a deputy raised a stake above his head to plunge it into Damon's heart, a bright white light shone from Luna, blinding everyone in the room.

It was so white it made your eyes hurt, it made them burn.

The light was still and static and lasted only a few moments before it began to dim and eventually evaporate into thin air, just as it had arrived.

Only now, both deputies and Sherriff Forbes were dead.

Broken bodies slumped on the flood in defeat, with blood leaking from their eyes and dribbling down their chins.

Luna's eyes slowly began to fade, the white clearing like fog, to reveal her iridescent blue irises.

She looked around the abandoned cellar, a mask of horror on her fair face.

"Oh god," she whispered, "what have I done?"


	10. Chapter Ten: I Need You

**Hey, everyone! I'm so sorry it's been so long, I'm back in school, and in my last year so I'm crazy busy, and was stuck on this chapter forever. I hope I still have some readers out there! As always, comments are always appreciated.**

Luna has this memory of when she was three or four, her family is sitting on the grass and she's twisting her fingers through the blades and pulling it out in fistfuls. The sun is beating down on her, warming her face and bronzing her skin.

"Better put some sunscreen on you, munchkin!" Her mom pipes up, pulling a bottle of white lotion with a sun on it out.

Luna in her own world ignores her mother and lets the blades of grass flutter between her fingers and onto the earth below.

Kaitlyn squeezes a dollop of sunscreen onto her palm and begins to rub it into her fair-skinned daughter.

"We can go get ice cream after this, and then head to the beach" her mother offers, a soft, sweet smile on her face.

"Yeah! Yeah!" The bright-eyed child cheers, a toothy grin full of childlike wonder and happiness filling her face.

"I thought you would like that" her mother responds, a content look adorning her features as she continues to rub in the lotion.

Luna giggles, the soft laughter filling the air and wafting throughout the park.

"Love you, mommy!" The little girl squeals happily, kicking her feet in the air and digging them back into the dirt.

"I love you too, Luna" Kaitlyn replies, her eyes filled with hope and love.

That's the only thing that Luna could think of. All the memories she has with her mother and all the moments she will never forget.

She could feel tears filling her eyes as she looked at the sheriff's body before her, and couldn't help think of all the moments she never got to share with her mom.

All the things a mom should be there for, and all the memories she'll never get.

And now Caroline won't get them either.

A piercing scream followed by heart-wrenching sobs fill the air, as Caroline collapses onto her knees beside her mother's limp body. Her knees cracked onto the stone below making Luna flinch.

"I-I'm sorry" Luna tries to spit out, her bottom lip wobbling as her vision blurs with tears.

A larger hand squeezes hers, comforting the pale girl. Luna looks over at Damon, his eyes are filled with confusion and sadness, something Luna can relate to.

She tries to talk but the words get stuck in her throat, and she's choking on them.

Damon shushes her softly and used his free hand to cup her face.

"It's okay" he murmurs, wiping away a tear with his thumb.

Caroline stared at her mother, she couldn't believe she was gone.

No. She wouldn't accept this, not after her father had left too. Her mother was all she had left. And even though they fought like cats and dogs, and never seemed to agree it didn't mean she loved her any less.

The blonde, filled with determination and sadness, quickly bit into her wrist with her protruding fangs till blood seeped down her arm.

She then swiftly pulled back and held her wrist against her mother's mouth, smearing blood on her lips.

"Come on, mom!" Caroline screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Luna stared at the girl before her, not quite understanding what she was seeing.

Veins the colour of wine sprang from Caroline's eyes and down her cheek, like delicate spider webs. Her eyes, usually a vibrant green and blue mixture were dark, a blood red or deep black that Luna couldn't quite distinguish without getting closer.

Which was the last thing she wanted to do.

Caroline's fangs were still out, like pointy porcelain just visible under the curl of her lip that dripped blood down her chin and onto her lipgloss covered lips.

Luna knew she should be scared, and part of her was, but most of her was curious. She wanted to get know just exactly what Caroline was.

She had known for awhile now that she was different, and what happened with the white light was only further proof of that.

And now, for once in her life, she wasn't alone.

Caroline was different too.

Luna looked up at Damon, who seemed to be watching her, analyzing and studying her reaction for what, she wasn't sure.

But she realized that he didn't seem surprised or scared, or anything really.

It was like he saw it every day.

Damon watched Luna, how her eyes widen in surprise (mixed with a tinge of fear) when Caroline bit into her wrist and her face transformed from a cheerleader into a monster. He watched every small muscle movement and every breath that came out ragged or completely hitched in her throat. Because he knew one day she would see him the same way she saw Caroline. Probably worse.

And if she was scared or disgusted, he wasn't quite sure what he would do. The thought of that made his chest tighten, and his grip on her hand become almost painful.

He couldn't lose her. Wouldn't.

A gasp broke the empty silence filling the room and drawing the pair's attention.

Luna couldn't believe what she was seeing: the sheriff's eyes were open and the colour had returned to her face.

She was alive.

Luna looked at Damon, searching for an explanation, or shock at least.

He simply shrugged, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

She could swear she saw a twinkle of relief in his eyes, but as soon as it was there it was gone.

"Mom!" Caroline said, pulling her up into a hug and squeezing her tight.

Her mother looked around, taking in her dead friends and coworkers on the floor, and clung to her daughter tighter.

"W-what happened?" Liz stuttered, her daughter's blood marring her lips.

Caroline turned to Damon, looking for answers he didn't have.

Damon sighed and walked over to the pair huddled on the ground, bending down till he was balancing on the balls of his feet. Only then noticing his injuries had healed.

"Listen, Liz-" he started but was cut short by her frightened whimper.

"Don't come anywhere near me" Liz spat, pushing herself back against the stone wall.

Hurt flashed across his face for a moment, but not long enough for anyone to notice.

"He won't hurt you" Caroline promised, rubbing her mom's arm.

"He's a vampire!" she yelled, her voice cracking.

Damon squeezed his eyes shut, his undead heart clenching in his chest. He could feel Luna's gaze on him now, almost so intensely that it was burning his skin through his shirt.

She would never look at him the same again.

Luna couldn't hear anything but the pounding of her heart in her ears, it was so loud that she thought her heart might explode in her chest.

Damon was a vampire.

She couldn't help but let out a laugh. A vampire? A sparkly, forever-teen, fluffy haired vampire?

Damon turned his head towards the giggling girl behind him, shock in his eyes.

"A vampire?" she snorted, licking her dry lips and leaning against the wall.

"They are dangerous, bloodthirsty, monsters," the sheriff said, venom filling her voice.

Caroline looked down at her mother, wiping the blood from her own lips with the back of her hand as she spoke, "No, we aren't mom"

Liz looked at her daughter, tears of sadness and horror filling her eyes.

"No," she cried, "not you. Not my baby"

The young blonde hung her head in shame, she was everything her mother hated.

"She saved your life," Damon said, rising to his feet and swinging his arm wide to gesture to the broken and bloody bodies on the floor. "If she wasn't a vampire you would be just like them right now, dead."

Liz couldn't help but flinch when he said dead. The white light had killed them all in a matter of seconds. She looked over at the thin girl leaned up against the wall like a porcelain doll.

"It was you." She spoke, her voice hard and eyes narrowed. "What are you?"

Damon's eyes slid over to the fiery girl, he too wanted answers.

But Luna couldn't give them.

"I…I don't know," she said, her hands pulling into fists to rest on her thighs.

Damon sighed again, "We have to clean up this mess"

Luna stood shakily, using the wall to support her. She was weak and tired now. Two things she hated.

Elena had woken Stefan's, whose injuries had also healed once the light had swept across the stone room, and managed to pull him to his feet.

"Take him home, Elena," Damon said softly, gesturing to his brother. "I'll get rid of the bodies."

Elena nodded, sparing a glance at Luna as she made her back up the steps disappearing into the forest.

Luna didn't miss the fear in Elena's eyes when they met hers.

She was the real monster.

"We have to deal with Liz," Damon said cooly.

"She's my mother, we don't have to 'deal' with anything." Caroline hissed.

"She knows about us."

"So does Luna" Caroline sneered, glaring at the teen behind Damon.

"Don't touch her," Damon ordered, his voice becoming deadly.

"She killed them all! And tried to kill my mother" Caroline exclaimed, rising to her feet.

"They were trying to kill us…she didn't know what she was doing." He reasoned, folding his arms across his chest.

"Which is it, Damon? She was protecting us or she didn't know what she was doing?" the blonde asked, stepping closer to the raven-haired man.

"You better watch yourself Barbie, I'm older than you, and that means stronger"

Caroline let her fangs pop down and her eyes darken. "Just let us go, Damon."

Damon took a threatening step forward, letting his own fangs lengthen, only to be stopped by a small hand on his arm.

"Damon…" Luna pleaded, "just let them go, please?"

Damon clenched his jaw, stopping in his tracks. "Luna, you don't know what this could do. If she tells-"

Luna cut him off, stepping closer, till her chest was pressed against his arm "She won't" turning her head to look at the sheriff "will you?"

Liz gave her a curt nod in response.

Damon glared at the young vampire, "Fine. Get out." he ordered, shifting subtly to shield Luna from Caroline's gaze.

The young blonde quickly pulled her mother up and sped out of the room in flash. Leaving the smell of flowery perfume as the only trace she had ever been there at all.

Damon turned back to Luna, his fangs hidden once again.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, his hand reaching up to cup her face, and his thumb gently brushing against her cheekbone so she could feel the rough skin of his finger pads.

"I should be asking you that, you're the one who got shot…a lot" Luna half-joked, her eyes meeting his.

"I'm fine" he replied, "just a flesh wound" a small smirk falling into place.

"Because you're a vampire?" she asked, her voice small and quiet, but her eyes big and wondering.

The blue-eyed man only nodded as he continued to brush his thumb against her smooth skin.

"Are you afraid?" he questioned, leaning in closer, almost daring her to say yes.

"No.," she said honestly

"Why not?"

"Because you would never hurt me." She whispered

Damon didn't say anything, he couldn't. Because he knew she was right. After a moment he pulled back, letting his hand fall to his side.

"I'm going to get rid of them and clean this up, sit tight okay?"

But before she could reply he sped off in a blur of black and blue, a haze of colours she couldn't separate or distinguish from one another.

Damon's muscle car pulled up outside Luna's house, she could feel the rumble of the engine in her throat as she sat in the passenger seat.

"I don't want to go home." She said, speaking for the first time since they got in the car.

"You don't have to" Damon reassured, his hand moving to rest on her thigh before he thought better and placed it back on the steering wheel.

"But I do" she cried, her voice cracking and her head hanging down "he's already going to be so mad…"

"Who?"

"John."

Damon's grip tightened on the steering wheel as he spoke, "You can stay the night at my place again, I wouldn't mind"

Luna shook her head, unbuckling her seatbelt "I don't want to hurt you"

Damon laughed, "A little thing like you? Trust me, I'm pretty unbreakable. I'm a vampire, remember?"

Luna looked at him, no fear in her eyes, just curiosity. "How could I forget?"

"Come on, it will be fun. Salvatore slumber party, anyone?" Damon grinned playfully, his tone light compared to the tension in the car.

"I can't," the teen said, regret filling her throat as she opened the car door.

Damon's hand reached out to grasp her arm lightly as she turned to leave, "Call if you need me, I can be here in a flash. Literally" he said with a laugh, although she could tell he was serious.

Luna nodded, sparing him one last glance before making her way towards the house she could never call a home.

Damon waited till she was inside the house, before slowly and reluctantly driving down the road, back towards the boarding house.

As Luna closed the door behind her, softly, as to not arouse the sleeping occupants in the house she made her way towards the staircase with delicate footsteps.

A light flickered on in the darkness, illuminating a shadow of a man in a chair in the living room.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Luna paused, her small foot in the middle of stepping onto a hardwood step and swiveled on her other foot to face him.

"I-I…" she started, not sure how to explain the last twenty-four hours.

"Well? I'm waiting" He said, standing as he spoke.

He was eerily calm, not a shred of anger or hate in his tone. Which is what scared her the most.

She swallowed hard, rubbing her arm as she spoke "I was at a friends"

"And so, what? You just decided not to come home? You think that's acceptable young lady?" he asked, anger starting to bubble up to the surface.

"No! I-" Luna was cut off with a smack to her face that sent her to the ground, causing her to bang her head against the edge of the stair.

The irony is, she was more scared of this man than any vampire or so-called monster. And even then, no one told her to stay away from him. No one warned her about the burly man with angry fists that could move so fast they would blur. No one told her that he was more dangerous than any creature could ever be.

After that, Luna blacked out the rest. And when she woke, images of fists and kicks flashed before her eyes like clips in a film, like they didn't belong to her. Yet she was numb.

A laugh fell from her lips, a bitter broken laugh that only added to the silence but not at all filling it.

She laughed and laughed and laughed, till her throat hurt and the blood on her lips had long dried.

She's not sure how long she lay, laughing on the floor as blood dripped into her hair, turning it an ugly burgundy colour.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked aloud, to no one in particular. If not only to hear her voice echo off the walls. To the feel the safety in being alone.

Her phone became heavy in her pocket, almost like she just realized it was there, her hand, adorned with already-bruising knuckles and split skin slid into the fabric of her (Elena's) shorts to pull it out.

Without thinking, she opened up Damon's number and sent a text.

 **I need you.**


	11. Chapter Eleven: Blood Bonds

**Hey, everyone, thank you for your views and feedback after my absence (especially may k. Nicole!) I hope you guys like this chapter, I think there is something in here you'll really enjoy. Let me know in the comments if you do! As always, feedback is appreciated.**

The first thing she was aware of when she woke was the feeling of silk sheets on her legs. They were soft and smooth, cooling the smudges of black and blue on her skin.

The second thing she was aware of was the comfy bed beneath her aching body, like a pile of feathers or blanket of clouds.

Stretching out her limbs one by one, like a cat waking from a slumber she sat up, wincing at the stiffness in her joints. The sheet fell from her shoulder and slid down to her waist, resting comfortably as she took in the room.

That's when it all came back, spinning memories rushing back so fast her head hurt. Whether that be from the head rush of memories or the wound embedded in her flesh, she couldn't be sure.

Somewhere between being a bloody pulp on her living room floor and texting Damon, she ended up here.

In Damon's room.

In Damon's bed.

She pushed down the silk fabric to reveal bruises the colour of ink in the form of handprints littering her legs. But, this wasn't the first thing she noticed, her naked legs, however, were.

"Hope you don't mind," came a velvety voice from the doorway, "your shorts didn't look very comfortable for sleeping in."

Luna looked up, the voice drawing her attention from her legs to the man leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed and a lazy smile on his face.

"Good morning, Damon"

"Afternoon." Damon corrected, pushing himself off the trim and walking towards the teen.

Luna looked over towards the window, where afternoon sunlight streamed in, catching flakes of dust floating in the air, turning them into diamonds.

"Afternoon." She confirmed before turning back to him, only to realize he was now sitting beside her on the bed.

"How are you feeling?" He questioned, trying to keep the concern out of his voice.

Luna shrugged, tucking a blood-matted piece of hair behind her ear as she spoke "I'm alright. I could use a shower"

"Yeah, you could," Damon confirmed, tugging a loose curl gently between his fingers, managing to only further tangle the mess of hair.

"Mind if I..." Luna trailed off, letting Damon fill in the blanks.

"Help yourself," Damon said, leaning back against the pillows and putting his hands behind his head.

"I think I will," Luna agreed, pausing to stand on weary legs and holding onto the bed frame for support. "and after," she continued "you'll tell me all about being a sparkly vampire, okay?"

The raven-haired man scolded, screwing up his face in the process till his nose wrinkled and his mouth turned down at the corners "I do not sparkle."

"Do you drink animal blood?" She asked, with a tilt of her head.

"Gross. No," he replied, shaking his head.

"Human blood?" She asked again, slightly quieter, a soft insecurity reflecting in her eyes.

"Yes," he answered, flicking his blue eyes to meet hers, searching for the fear he was certain would be there.

The air around them was thick and heavy, pressing down on her chest till she almost couldn't suck in air between her teeth, and instead had to gulp it down.

But she didn't waver.

"Huh." She hummed softly, turning to walk to the bathroom as she did so.

Damon, stunned again by the beautiful girl, only just managed to add "Don't fall down in there, it looks like you can barely walk." before the shower turned on and the sound of cascading water filled the room.

Luna, now stripped of her clothes (the little she had left on, that is) walked into the shower. It was large, huge in fact, and lined with a cool grey stone that eased the heat radiating from the wounds on her skin.

She stepped into the running water, enjoying the pressure on her tense muscles and feeling it knead the knots in her neck and back. She watched the water swirl down the drain in a memorizing shade of rust.

Eventually, the water had turned clear again, and all signs of blood had been rinsed from her skin and thick head of hair.

If only the memories were as easy to wash away.

When Luna was finished, she turned the water off (which was not an easy task with all the buttons, knobs, and levers) and stepped out of the shower. The cold stone sent goosebumps up her legs and it was then she realized she didn't have a towel.

The auburn-haired girl looked around the large bathroom, opening drawers and cabinet doors for any sign of a towel.

There was none.

"Damon!" She called, desperate as water began to pool at her feet and drip from her hair.

"Yes?" Came a sing-song voice from the other side of the door.

"I need a towel" she grumbled, annoyed at admitting she needed something (someone).

Damon hummed, a sly grin pulling at his lips.

"Oh, you do?" He asked, playing dumb.

"Damon." She deadpanned, not in the mood to joke.

"What do I get out of this? Perhaps a sneak peek?" The vampire offered.

"In your dreams" she retorted.

"Actually, I dream about it quite often" he replied, enjoying their banter and leaning against the door.

"Please Damon," she paused, gritting her teeth at having to beg "I'm cold and sore."

"Alright, fine" he surrendered, quickly zipping downstairs for a towel and back up before she could notice.

"I got your towel," he said, moving to open the door.

"Just open the door a crack and I'll get it," Luna replied, moving so she couldn't be seen from the opening.

Damon nodded, although she couldn't see him (and unfortunately, he couldn't see her) and opened the door just wide enough to hand her the towel and then close the door again.

Silence filled the older Salvatore's room, both occupants lost in their thoughts.

Damon, deciding to voice some of his, said: "My blood can help you know."

"What?" Came a muffled and confused voice on the other side of the dark wood door.

"My blood. If you drink it, it can heal you. The bruises and aches will go away," he explained, unconsciously clenching his jaw at mentioning her injuries.

"Oh," she said dumbly, pulling on her underwear from the day before.

"Wouldn't that be...I don't know, gross?" She added, untangling the knots in her hair with her fingers.

"It's not as bad as you might think," he offered, pulling a deep blue v neck and sweats from his dresser.

Cracking open the door once more, causing the teen to jump, he passed her the clothes.

"That's the best I can do right now, it's probably going to be huge but it's comfy."

She thanked him, pulling the loose-fitting tee over her head. Her delicate fingers, bruised with cracked skin at the knuckles, pulled the collar of the shirt up to her nose, letting her inhale the scent.

"It smells like you," she murmured, taking it in.

He smiled, leaning his head back against the doorframe, "Like I said, comfy."

Luna could only smile, as she tugged on his pants (thankful for the drawstring waist and cuffed bottoms) and opened the door to face him.

"So, this blood thing..." she started, totally unaware of what Damon was thinking.

Damon, who could barely concentrate on the words coming out of her lips (once soft but now cracked, with a scab in the middle of dry blood), was taken aback by how she looked (and smelled).

Although to most it wouldn't be much, his eyes could pick up every detail on her skin.

The finger smudges on her arm.

The broken skin on her knuckles.

The cigarette burn on her collarbone.

The bruises on her face (from a kick that landed squarely on her jaw).

The smell of blood in the air.

But he also noticed other things.

Like the clear teal of her eyes, lined with thick lashes.

The impossible ivory skin that covered her.

The hair that hung damp against her shoulders and curled like vines on the exposed skin of her neck.

The sight of her in his clothes, which was almost too much to take.

The smell of her blood, pumping under her skin, bringing colour to her cheeks.

She was a beautiful mess.

"You're so beautiful," he blurted out, unaware he spoke aloud

Luna, pausing mid-sentence looked at the vampire before her, searching his face for any sign of joking.

She opened her mouth to reply but found herself lacking any quick quips.

Clearing her throat and trying to get the heat from her cheeks she continued

"So, as I was saying, are there any side effects to this blood thing?" She asked, clearly uncomfortable with Damon's gaze, unblinking and unrelenting on her.

Caught off guard by his own actions, Damon ran a hand through his hair and took a step back as he answered

"That depends on what you consider a side effect."

"Damon."

"Okay, yeah I guess you could say there are a few," he stated, holding up two fingers a few centimeters apart, showcasing just how minuscule they were.

"Like?" Luna asked, crossing her arms and resting them against her chest, leaning back against the doorway much like he had done earlier.

Damon's eye flickered down to an old scar that peaked up from beneath the collar of her (his) shirt when her arms rested on it, but then quickly flashed back up to meet hers.

"You might have...dreams, about me." He explained

"Assuming you don't already," he added, a cheeky grin plastered on his face.

"I don't," Luna said, pausing to playfully roll her eyes. "What else?"

"Nothing major, I promise." He reassured, staring into her eyes, "Trust me."

Luna could feel the sincerity in his words, see it in his eyes.

"Okay," she agreed, warily.

Damon nodded, letting his fangs emerge from his gums and poke out under his lips, the white gleaming. His eyes changed from their ocean blue to something much more sinister. A deep red or black, she couldn't quite tell. From his eyes sprung deep purple veins, like weeds growing from them and down his cheeks to his strong jaw.

"Are you sure?" He asked, which was more than anyone else ever got.

"I trust you." She whispered.

Damon couldn't (shouldn't) known that 'I trust you' was something Luna never said. She didn't (couldn't) trust anyone. She was always on guard, waiting for the next blow.

But with Damon, ironic as it was, she felt safe.

Vampire or not, she trusted him.

Damon, warmed by her words brought his wrist up to his mouth and bit into it, without flinching.

Blood filled his mouth and trailed down his arm in two streams from the wound he created. After a moment he pulled back, exposing blood covered fangs and two puncture wounds in his pale skin.

Gently he brought his other hand to rest on the back of her head and guide her towards his blood.

Luna, hesitating only for a moment with a flick of her eyes toward him, let her mouth cover his wounds and suck the blood out.

It tasted better than she thought. It was bitter and metallic, but also sweet and rich. It reminded her of dark chocolate, complex in flavour on her tongue as it slid down her throat.

She began to suck the blood, wrapping both her hands on the back of his arm and holding it tightly against her mouth, preventing him from pulling it away (not that he wanted to).

A groan escaped Damon's lips as his hand knotted in her hair and he stumbled back against the wall, leaning against it for support.

"Fuck," he growled, his fangs digging into his own bottom lip till blood sprang from it.

Luna, unaware of what she was doing to him pulled back after a moment, blood marring her lips.

"Did I hurt you?" She asked, a haze of concern evident in her glossy eyes.

Damon laughed, a laugh that started in his chest and was deep and real.

"No, no. Not at all." he grinned, licking the pinprick of blood from his lips, the wound already gone.

"How do you feel?" he questioned, consciously untangling his fingers from her damp hair.

"Better."

Damon nodded, staring at her blood covered lips.

"Damon?" She asked, squirming under his gaze.

The raven-haired Salvatore only hummed in reply, leaning in closer to the auburn-haired girl, shifting till he was in front of her, her back now pressed against the wall and his arms on either side of her.

"You got something on your lips."

"Huh?" Luna asked, fingers reaching up to brush against the blood that covered them.

"I'll get it," Damon replied, leaning in the rest of the way and pressing his lips against hers.

He could taste his blood on her lips. But he could also taste watermelon lip chap, that he's seen her put on (on numerous occasions) and the aftermath of minty gum that lingered in her mouth.

And nothing had ever tasted so good.

Luna, too shocked to move, finally clued into what was happening.

Damon was kissing her.

A vampire was kissing her.

And nothing ever felt so good.

Just as she had started to kiss back, feeling his smooth lips against hers and tasting his mouth, he pulled back.

"There," he said, his voice soft and close, his breath sweeping against her lips. "all gone."

Luna couldn't catch her breath, let alone string together a coherent sentence. She simply nodded in reply as thanks.

A low chuckle sounded from him, as he leaned in closer, till his lips almost brushed against hers again before he pulled back.

A whine, that was stuck in her throat almost escaped her lips as he pulled away. But she managed to control herself.

"Hey, Luna?"

"Uh Huh?" She replied, her head still in the clouds.

"You can open your eyes now."

Luna's eyes fluttered open, taking in the man before her. A slight giggle escaping her lips as she realized she had been standing there with her eyes closed like a fool.

A soft smile rested on his lips, paired with a dazed look in his eyes.

She hadn't seen the look on his face before, she liked it.

"What's that look?"

Bringing his hand up to brush a lock of hair behind her ear, and tracing his finger down her cheek and across her jawline Damon let a shaky breath out.

"I'm happy," he murmured, his eyes flicking upwards to meet hers. Silently saying 'because of you'.

"I like it on you," she replied, her tone soft and understanding.

"Me too."

Damon wished he could save this moment in time forever, and visit it whenever it pleased him (which would be often).

He wanted to feel her lips against his for an eternity.

Taste her chapstick for a lifetime.

Smell her unique sent forever.

He wanted her, always.

But forever for a human was a blink in a vampire's existence.

So, with a last look at the beauty before him and a sigh, he pulled back. Pushing himself off the wall with his fists and put about a foot of space between them.

"What do you want to know about vampires?" Damon questioned, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Everything," Luna said, curiosity illuminating her eyes.

"Come, sit." Damon gestured to his bed, taking a seat on it and leaning back against the sturdy headboard and mass of pillows.

Luna followed suit, resisting the urge to curl up against the triangle of space under his arm and press herself against his side. (But just barely)

"It's a long story," he warned.

"I've got time," she joked, scooting closer to him.

"It's not pretty," he cautioned.

"I know what I'm getting into, Damon."

Only, she had no idea what she was getting into. Neither of them did, or could have.


	12. Chapter Twelve:Nightmares & Best Friends

**Sorry, it's been so long guys; school has been crazy plus a serious case of writer's block. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Your comments, favourites, and follows are loved and appreciated.**

A long paved path, with burnt orange, cardinal red, and speckles of yellow leaves adorning the trees that lined the weaving walkway lay ahead of her. Unsure of where she was going, as the fog rolled in over the hills hiding her converse-clad feet from view, she continued walking at a zombie-like pace. In the distance, like the beginning of every horror movie, she heard a twig snap, so loud in the deafening silence that surround her that she couldn't miss it.

"Hello?" the teen questioned meekly, swiveling on her toes to face the dense forest.

She was met only with silence.

She continued walking ahead, quickening her pace to a brisk walk, as she pulled her thin black sweater tighter around her, not only for warmth but for comfort.

A moment passed, marked by her echoing footsteps which punctured each passing second, when she heard it again, a snap of a twig, followed by the rustling of leaves.

"Hello?" she called again, straining to hear a reply, "is anyone out there?"

For a moment she swore she saw a flash of something from the corner of her eye by the edge of the trees, but it was gone before she could even register it. With a shake of her head and a tense laugh, she continued on the never-ending path, to a place she wasn't quite sure of.

"There's nothing out there," she mumbled to herself, shaking her head as she spoke.

"Are you sure about that?" a low voice growled behind her.

She froze, mid-step, shoulders coming up to her ears and her nails digging into her skin, leaving pinpricks of pain to match the fear in her gut.

After a moment, she spun around, only to be met with air, not a trace of anyone there. A sigh of relief escaped her plump limps, "thank god." She breathed, releasing a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

"Over here" a voice whispered in her ear from behind, causing the small hairs on the back of her neck to stand up and goosebumps to trail across her skin. The breath she was letting out hitched in her throat as she turned around to come face to face with a beautifully blue-eyed stranger.

Even though she didn't recognize the pale stranger in front of her, the name "Damon" came tumbling from her lips before she could stop herself, as she stood, seemingly frozen in front of him.

The man only smirked in response, allowing purple veins to spring from his eyes and travel across his cheekbones, rooting in his features. His once clear and entrancing blue eyes had been replaced by a muddled black with hints of red, only visible when you were as close as she.

And before she could even scream at the monster before her, his fangs were digging into the side of her neck. They tore into her jugular mercilessly, spilling blood into his mouth as he held her tightly against him, relishing in her pain, in her suffering.

In her death.

With a start, Luna sat up in bed, her heart racing widely in her chest, thudding in her ears, as she gripped the sheets below her. The ponytail she wore to bed once high and neat, was now askew and messy, hair sticking out and falling to frame her face where it stuck to her sweat coated skin.

Rubbing her face with a shaky hand, she took in her surroundings, realizing once again she fell asleep in the eldest Salvatore's bed.

A soft grumble from the man beside her, shook her from her racing thoughts, drawing her attention to the once terrifying man in her dreams to the now softly snoring one beside her. His skin was flawless, and hair tousled (much like in her dream), however instead of a sinister smirk on his lips, a soft sleepy smile rested there instead, where a smidge of drool leaked from the corner and onto the pillow beneath his head.

A smile, that mirrored the man's beside her, blossomed onto her face as she stared at him. The butterflies that were released in her stomach every time she looked at him fluttered passionately until she had to wrap an arm around herself to keep upright. And with a gentle, but precise touch she softly swept a strand of hair from his forehead that was dangerously close to tickling his nose.

Luna wasn't quite sure how, or why, the monster in her dream took the form of Damon.

Yes, he was a vampire, but he wasn't a monster. The Damon in her dream and the one before her were completely different.

Damon felt Luna sit up with a gasp, her hand clinging to his under the mass of sheets and luxury bedding (even though she may not have felt his hand under all this, he felt hers). However, he stayed still; listening to the thrashing of her heart trying to escape her chest cavity.

And for a moment, that enticed him.

But a slight whimper, too low for even Luna herself to hear, sounded from the frightened girl and drifted directly into his ears, vanquishing any thoughts of harm or bloodlust in the raven-haired man's mind.

After a moment or two, her erratic breathing and racing heart had slowed enough to the point where he didn't worry about her going into cardiac arrest or having a panic attack. Then, he felt her gaze shift to him, he kept his eyes closed and his breathing even. He wondered what she was thinking, was she scared of him?

'She should be' a bitter voice, nestled in the back of his mind spat

However, his thoughts came to a stuttering halt when he felt the soft skin of her fingers brush against his forehead, pushing a stray hair to the side.

If he wasn't so much of a badass vampire, he might have admitted to feeling the twinge of long forgotten, broken butterflies, take flight in his gut.

But Damon Salvatore was never one to admit anything.

"Good morning" the vampire murmured, a slight twinge of sleep accenting his voice

Luna paused, two fingers woven between strands of his hair at the sound of him waking,

"You're up" she exclaimed, voicing her surprise.

Damon only let out a throaty grunt in response, his eyes flicking up towards where her fingers remained tangled in his ebony hair.

"Uh, sorry," Luna lamely explained, retracting her fingers from his soft locks.

Damon tried to hide his disappointment at the removal of her skin against his.

"I didn't say stop, did I?" he couldn't help but say.

Luna only blushed in reply, leaning forward slightly to tuck some hair behind his ear with a small smile, "So, a vampire huh?"

"I thought we covered this last night," Damon asked, with the quirk of a brow.

"It's a lot to take in," she reasoned, moving to lightly stroke the stray hairs at the back of his neck with nimble fingers.

"Mhmm" Damon hummed contently; focus wavering at her soft touch at the nape of his neck

"So now that I know…" Luna trailed off, picking up the conversation from last night, where it had died off once their voices had become thick with sleep and she could no longer keep her eyes open.

"You can't tell anyone." He finished seriously, looking into her eyes intently, all traces of sleep gone.

"I know," she replied "I wasn't going to anyway"

"Good."

"Do you think your friends will stop warning me to stay away from you now?"

"My friends?" Damon asked, nose crinkling at the thought of him and the witch being friends

"Well, they don't seem to be my friends anymore," Luna said, doubtful they would be after the Damon drama.

"Friends are overrated," Damon said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Then what are we?" Luna questioned, trying to catch Damon's gaze through hooded lids.

Damon leaned forward, till his nose brushed against hers

"Best friends." He exclaimed, a smirk making its way to his lips.

Luna scoffed, playfully tugging at the hair on the back of his neck "Jerk"

Damon's smirk only widened in return, "I don't mind if you pull on my hair"

Luna laughed, tugging his hair again for good measure. "Well, now I'll never do it again."

"Nooo," Damon pouted, sticking his bottom lip out for added measure.

The buzzing of Luna's cell phone on the nightstand table interrupted her train of thought. She leaned over to retrieve her phone, and Damon being Damon ignored this. He weaved an arm around her narrow waist and pulled her against him, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck feeling her blood pumping beneath her soft skin. The teen half-heartedly nudged him in the ribs with her elbow, secretly loving the feeling of his strong arms around her.

"Hello?" she answered the phone, a giggle stuck in her throat and a 1000-kilowatt smile on her face.

"Hello Luna," rang her father's voice from the other end of the phone, immediately killing the giggle in her throat and dimming the smile on her face.

"W-what do you want," she asked, voice wavering as she tried to sound strong.

Damon tightened his arm around Luna, not liking the change in her voice. He could easily hear the person on the other end but was struggling to recognize who it was.

"You didn't come back, again," the man growled.

Damon's eyes darkened and his jaw clenched, wishing he knew who it was so he could rip their throat out.

"I-I was at a friend's. It's not…I'm sorry, sir." The crimson-haired beauty stuttered, unconsciously pressing back against the eldest Salvatore, wishing she could disappear.

"Get home. Now, or you know what will happen," the voice threatened.

The vampire, never one to hold himself back, couldn't take it anymore. No one was allowed to talk to her like that. He grabbed the phone out of her hand, careful to not to take his anger out on her.

"Listen here," Damon snarled his eyes dark and fangs threatening to retract.

"Damon!" Luna squeaked, grabbing the phone from his grasp and scrambling out of his hold. "You'll just make things worse," she reasoned, her eyes soft and sad.

Bringing the phone up to her ear, as she untangled her legs from the silk sheets and stood she spoke into the receiver.

"I'm coming home now, I'll be there soon." Without waiting for a reply, which she would probably regret late, she hung up.

"What are you doing, Luna?" the vampire exclaimed, haphazardly throwing the bed covers to the side and stomping over to her.

She only stared at him, unsure of what to say. She wasn't sure why she always went back; she knew it was stupid and reckless.

Yet, she always went back, and he knew that.

"I know that was your dad." Damon spat, trying to get Luna's attention as her eyes fogged over.

"Which is why you know I have to go back" Luna reasoned, looking everywhere but his eyes.

"Are you an idiot!?" Damon exploded, throwing his hands in the air.

The second he did it, he wished he hadn't. Even if he wasn't a vampire, it would be impossible for him to miss the harsh flinch that went through Luna's body as he raised his arms.

The anger suddenly drained out of him, and his gut clenched in an uncomfortable way that he never felt before. That he never wanted to feel again.

"I'm sorry," Damon said, his voice soft and low as he tried to catch Luna's gaze "please don't go."

Although Luna didn't know this, it was almost impossible for Damon to say these few words. Every fiber of his being told him not to care.

But he did.

He cared so fucking much, and he would do whatever it took to keep her safe.

Luna finally managed to look into his eyes and was surprised at all she saw there. His impossibly blue eyes held compassion, understanding, worry, and maybe even something along the lines of love.

"I have to Damon," she spoke, her voice cracking when she said his name.

"I can protect you," the vampire reasoned, gingerly moving to cup her face softly. "I won't let him hurt you."

Her eyes searched his for any signs of doubt. She couldn't find a single trace.

"I wouldn't ask you to do that"

"You don't have to;" Damon explained "I'm offering. I could snap his neck and dispose of his body before you would even know what's happening."

The vampire winced at his words once they left his mouth, he didn't want to scare her.

But Luna wasn't scared.

"What if you get caught," the slightly shorter teen asked, worrying about the beautiful man before her.

"I've never got caught before," he said a small grin falling onto his face.

"Damon" she warned, her tone serious compared to his somewhat playful one.

"Okay, sorry," he said, rubbing her jaw softly with his thumb, relishing in the feeling of her warm, smooth skin under his touch.

"I have to go, Damon," she said, already pulling away from his touch, even though it was the last thing she wanted to do.

"No you don't" Damon murmured, sliding his hand down to her waist and pulling her close.

"Damon…" the teal eyed girl trailed off, her voice catching and her eyes welling with tears.

"Please don't cry," Damon pleaded squeezing her waist softly.

Luna sniffled, jutting out her chin stubbornly as she spoke "I'm not crying"

Damon smiled softly at her, despite their current situation she was being her usual stubborn pain in the ass.

Using his other hand to wipe an overflowing tear making its way down her cheek he moved closer, inhaling her scent, a smell that was purely hers and that he wanted to smell forever.

"I don't have anywhere else to go, he'll find me," Luna whispered, leaning into his touch.

Without even thinking about it Damon said: "You can stay here, with me. And if he comes anywhere near you or this house I'll kill him."

"Stay here?" Luna asked shock evident in her striking features.

"Yeah, why not?" Damon asked, stroking her face with his thumb as he spoke.

"You're insane," Luna said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Only the best people are" he grinned softly.

"Don't quote Lewis Carroll to me right now, Damon"

"Look at you, little miss honour roll student"

"You're the one that quoted it," she offered

"I was alive when he wrote it" Damon explained, laughing slightly at the look on her face.

"Jesus you're old"

"Don't change the subject, Luna." He tilted her head up with a flick of his wrist, so he could stare into her eyes. "Move in with me."

"Are you trying to compel me?" Luna asked, frowning softly.

"No, I'm pleading with you. One day you'll go back with him, and he'll kill you. You're too fragile."

"I'm not fragile," Luna stated, crinkling her nose in disgust.

"Luna," Damon sighed "I could crush your skull in my hand right now"

"But you wouldn't"

"I wouldn't" he echoed, confirming what she already knew.

Luna sighed, stepping back from his touch and avoiding his eyes. She couldn't think when she was staring into his baby blues, or with his hands all over the slight dips and curves of her waist.

She knew she should, if she was smart she would. He's offering her the chance to live in a mansion with constant protection, and not to mention the fact that he was her very hot best friend. Yet, something was still holding her back. She knew John wouldn't just let her go, her life wasn't that easy. He would come looking for her. But looking at Damon, with his tousled hair that always managed to be effortlessly perfect and his ocean coloured eyes (has she mentioned how beautiful they are before?) she couldn't think of a good reason to be anywhere else but with him.

"Okay," she said, finally looking up to meet his eyes once again.

"Okay?" he asked, not wanting to get his hopes up.

"I'll move in with you Damon."


End file.
